Game Summary

The New Jersey Devils were able to hold off the Florida Panthers and their late rally 3-2 Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Devils improve to 5-2-1 and sit near the top in the Metropolitan division.

The first period was on to forget for the Devils. Their undisciplined play resulted in four first period power plays for the Panthers. Luckily, the Devils penalty kill unit, which has been stellar all year, was up to the task. Even after a rough beginning of the period, the Devils were able to tally a questionable goal thanks to Kyle Palmieri with only 10 seconds left in the period (video below).

The second period was much kinder to the Devils as they tallied their final two goals of the game. Taylor Hall was able to bury a beautiful pass from Kyle Palmieri, and Blake Coleman was able to redirect a Mirco Muller shot on the power play.

The Panthers were able to make the game a little nerve-wracking as they tallied both of their goals in the last five minutes of the game. Luckily the Devils were able to hold on for their fifth win of the season. The final shots on goal were 37-26 in favor of the Panthers. Goaltender Keith Kinkaid made 54-saves in a winning effort. James Reimer was on the losing side of things for the Panthers.

Game Notes

• Goaltender Keith Kinkaid bounced back after a miserable performance against Nashville. His five wins so far this season ties him for the lead league. It’ll be interesting to see how Coach Hynes handles the situation with Cory Schneider’s return soon.
• Forward Blake Coleman had a fantastic game. He was hitting everything in sight and finished the game with five hits. He was also able to tally his third goal of the season. If the Devils hope to continue their early season success, they must balance their scoring, Coleman can help this cause.
• When reviewing the games’ advanced statistics, the Corsi numbers are unimpressive. At 5-on-5 play, the Panthers had 54 total shot attempts compared to the Devils 41. However, the Devils chances throughout the game were usually good one. This is evident by the fact the Devils had 19 scoring chances and 13 high danger scoring chances. It is good to see the Devils are getting such good scoring chances.
• The top line of Hall-Hischier-Palmieri was lethal once again. The trio led the Devils in terms of Corsi and also combined for five points. Through the first eight games of the season, this line has been one of the best in the league. They are also greatly responsible for the Devils strong start.

Next Devils Game: October 30^th, Away vs. Tampa Bay Lightning