Thursday, the New Jersey Devils, in front of an energetic home crowd, defeated the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers, 3-1. The Devils scored three unanswered goals, including two in the third period, to earn themselves their first multi-goal home opener win since 2018. Their record improves to 3-1-0 to begin the new season.
Recap
First Period
The Devils came out flat-footed to begin the game as just two minutes in Dougie Hamilton got caught deep in the offensive zone, and allowed Brad Marchand to come in on a two-on-one. While his original shot was denied, third-year Panther Evan Rodrigues was right there to jam home the rebound. In a blink of an eye the Devils were down 1-0.
The rest of the period included multiple power play opportunities for both sides, however, the best chance for either team came right after a power play. Luke Hughes came sprinting out of the box and found himself one on one with Panthers goalie Daniil Tarasov. However, the young defenseman’s slapshot was denied and the Devils went into the first intermission trailing 1-0.
Second Period
The Devils came out flying to start period number two and almost found a quick equalizer. Brian Halonen sent a beautiful saucer pass to Luke Glendening who put the puck off the right skate of Tarasov on the backhand, and came inches away from burying his first goal as a Devil.
It was only fitting, though, that it was the power play, which was dominating all game, that got the Devils on the board. Jack Hughes doing Jack Hughes things sniped a shot at a near impossible angle which bounced off the shoulder of Tarasov and in. Hughes’ first goal of his 2025-2026 campaign tied the game at one.
Despite the Panthers making a small push after the goal, the final five minutes of the period was all New Jersey. Though they couldn’t find the back of the net they went into the third outshooting the defending champs 25-15.
Third Period
Nothing too special came about as the two teams opened the third. Both goaltenders were holding strong looking to keep the game tied.
Eventually though, it was Tarasov and the Panthers who blinked first. Simon Nemec took a shot from the point and Timo Meier deflected it in for his third goal of the season, but the Devils didn’t stop there. About five minutes later, Dawson Mercer dove out and sent the puck perfectly on the tape for Nico Hichier. The Devils’ captain picked his corner and gave the Devils a crucial insurance goal.
The Panthers pressed hard with the goalie pulled in the final two minutes, but their hopes of a comeback came crashing down when a potential Sam Reinhart goal was waved off for goalie interference. The Devils, while on the power play, watched the final seconds tick away on their third straight win.
Game Notes
The Core Four
If the Devils will go anywhere this season they are going to need contributions from their core four forwards: Jesper Bratt, Nico Hichier, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier. They got contributions from all of them Thursday night with at least one point from each of them.
Even when not scoring goals the top two forward lines for New Jersey were still dominant. In particular, the Hughes and Bratt line finished with a 64.71 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and a 73.11 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%) at five-on-five. Both led the team. While the season is only four games old it’s very promising to see the top guys producing at such a high level.
Is Four In A Row Possible?
The win Thursday against Florida was the Devils third in a row. However, extending winning streaks to four games has been a struggle for New Jersey in recent memory. Since a five-game win streak in January of 2023, the Devils have gone 0-11-2 in games after winning a third straight. As seen in the 2022-2023 season, a big winning streak to begin the season can do wonders for a team, and the Devils will hope to exercise their demons in the next game, albeit, against an extremely tough opponent.
What’s Next?
The Devils will hunt for their fourth win in a row as they take on the Edmonton Oilers Saturday at 3:30 pm ET.