National Hockey League
New Jersey 7, Florida 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Jake Brenk, Beau Halkidis
Linesmen: Mark Shewchyk, Ben O'Quinn
Attendance: 10627

Andreas Johnsson scored twice and the New Jersey Devils ended the game by scoring five unanswered goals Tuesday night as they beat the visiting Florida Panthers, 7-3, in Newark, N.J.

Nico Hischier, P.K. Subban, Pavel Zacha, Ty Smith and Jimmy Vesey also scored for the Devils, who have won two straight. New Jersey goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 35 saves.

Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov and Owen Tippett scored for the Panthers, who lost both ends of a back-to-back after opening the season 10-0-1. Florida fell to the New York Rangers 4-3 on Monday.

Florida goalie Spencer Knight recorded 24 saves on Tuesday.

The Panthers took a quick lead when Bennett put back the rebound of his own wraparound attempt at the 3:53 mark of the first period.

The Devils tied the score and took the lead in a 119-second span late in the opening period. Johnsson put back the rebound of Jasper Bratt's point-blank shot on a power play with 4:14 left before Hischier redirected Smith's shot from just behind the left faceoff circle.

The Panthers returned the favor in the first 1:29 of the third. Barkov collected a milestone goal just 24 seconds after the faceoff when he put back the rebound of a shot by Carter Verhaeghe. The goal was the 189th of Barkov's career, breaking a tie with Olli Jokinen for the most in franchise history.

The Panthers went ahead again when Tippett barreled into the crease and, in one motion, took a pass from Gustav Forsling and beat Blackwood from point-blank range.

The Devils tied the game on a three-on-two rush just 29 seconds later when Johnsson and Dawson Mercer exchanged the puck before Johnsson scored.

Subban gave New Jersey the lead for good with 1:45 left in the second when his shot from just behind the slot ticked off Florida's Sam Reinhart and sailed past Knight.

The Devils turned the game into a rout by scoring twice in a 29-second span early in the third. Zacha capped a power play by scoring off the rebound of a close-range shot by Hischier at the 4:44 mark. After a faceoff win, Smith fired a shot beyond the glove of a screened Knight.

The Panthers pulled Knight with more than four minutes left, but Vesey's empty-netter with 3:49 left ended any hopes Florida had of a comeback.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Florida   New Jersey
Owen Tippett 2 Points Ty Smith 3
Owen Tippett 1 Goals Andreas Johnsson 2
Carter Verhaeghe 2 Assists Ty Smith 2
N/A Power Play Goals Andreas Johnsson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Spencer Knight .800 Save Percentage Mackenzie Blackwood .921
Spencer Knight 24 Saves Mackenzie Blackwood 35
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 38 3 0-2 2-4 8 28
New Jersey 31 7 2-4 2-2 4 32
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Devils have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Panthers have a W/L % of .800 after a win and .667 after a loss.