Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves, helping the New Jersey Devils secure a 7-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. This win marked Blackwood’s first of the season and handed the Panthers their second consecutive regulation loss after an 11-game unbeaten streak.
Andreas Johnsson scored twice, while defenseman P.K. Subban netted the go-ahead goal as the Devils posted their season’s highest-scoring game.
“We’ve been looking for offense,” said Devils coach Lindy Ruff. “Hopefully, we can use this as a springboard.”
The Panthers, who had been riding a strong 10-0-1 start, suffered their first regulation loss to the Rangers on Monday before falling again to New Jersey.
“The last two games, we haven’t really handled those momentum swings well,” said Panthers coach Andrew Brunette. “We allowed two goals in 30 seconds in a 4-3 game, and next thing you know, it’s 6-3.”
Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Ty Smith, and Jimmy Vesey also found the back of the net for the Devils, who are off to a solid 6-3-2 start.
“Our skating and our compete level were evident all night,” Ruff added. “We had our defense joining the rush. Once we got the puck, we were on the move.”
With the score tied at 3-3, Subban’s shot from the point late in the second period found its way past Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight, giving Subban his first goal of the season. Zacha then extended the Devils’ lead with a power-play goal at 4:44 of the third period, followed by goals from Smith and Vesey to close out the scoring.
After missing four games with an upper-body injury, Sam Bennett, back in the Panthers’ lineup, opened the scoring at 3:53 of the first period, knocking the puck past Blackwood for his fifth goal of the season.
Johnsson responded with a power-play goal at 15:46 to tie the game.
Hischier gave the Devils a 2-1 lead by tipping a shot from Smith past Knight.
The second period kicked off with a flurry of goals. Florida captain Aleksander Barkov scored his team-leading eighth goal just 24 seconds in, followed by Owen Tippett’s goal at 1:29 to put the Panthers ahead 3-2.
“We don’t want to trade goals back and forth,” said Barkov. “That’s not our style. We want to play a solid, simple game.”
Barkov’s goal was the 189th of his career, moving him past Olli Jokinen as the all-time leading goal scorer in Panthers history.
“I know so many great players have played in this organization, and Olli Jokinen was one of them,” Barkov said. “To be mentioned in the same category as him is something I never even dreamed of, and now it’s reality.”
Johnsson quickly tied the game again at 3-3 with his second goal of the night and sixth of the season at 1:58 of the second period.
“I feel like we matched their skating,” said Johnsson, who has already surpassed his goal total from last season. “We played really smart today. The whole team had energy. It was awesome to see.”
Game Notes
Devils forward Miles Wood is out indefinitely following right hip surgery after an injury during the preseason. Tyce Thompson made his season debut for the Devils. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury. The Devils also scratched forwards Yegor Sharangovich and Mason Geertsen. The Panthers scratched forwards Ryan Lomberg and Mason Marchment, who was injured against the Rangers on Monday, along with defenseman Kevin Connauton. The teams will face each other again on Nov. 18 and April 2 in Florida.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
- Panthers: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
