Timo Meier and Nico Hischier scored in the third period, and Jake Allen made 21 saves to backstop the New Jersey Devils to a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in their home opener.
Meier broke a 1-1 tie at 6:23 of the third period with his team-leading third goal of the season, beating Florida goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Hischier added insurance at 11:47 with his second of the year as the Devils captured their third straight win following a season-opening loss in Carolina.
Jack Hughes also scored for New Jersey, tying the game midway through the second period with help from Meier and Jesper Bratt, who notched his 300th career assist on the play. Hughes, limited to 62 games last season, scored 27 goals for the second consecutive year and looks poised for another strong campaign.
The Devils turned to Allen for the start after losing Jacob Markstrom to a lower-body injury earlier in the week. Allen earned his first season victory, turning aside key chances late to preserve the lead.
Florida’s lone goal came early, just 1:59 into the game, when Evan Rodrigues poked in a rebound for his second of the season. Tarasov — acquired from Columbus in a June trade — was strong in net despite the loss, stopping 30 shots and making several sharp saves, including three on Hughes late in the second period and a breakaway stop on Lucas Glendening.
The short-handed Panthers, missing several key players including captain Aleksander Barkov (knee), Matthew Tkachuk (adductor tear), Tomas Nosek, and Dmitry Kulikov, struggled again on special teams, going 0-for-5 on the power play. They have now dropped three straight road games after opening the season with three home wins.
Up Next:
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Devils: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
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Panthers: Travel to face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
