Devils Rout Panthers 7-3 As Blackwood Wins 1st Of Season
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves and the New Jersey Devils beat the Panthers 7-3 Tuesday night, handing Florida a second-straight regulation loss after it went 11 games without one.
Andreas Johnsson scored twice and defenseman P.K. Subban had the go-ahead goal as the Devils had their biggest offensive output of the season.
Florida lost for the first time in regulation against the Rangers on Monday at Madison Square Garden after a 10-0-1 start.
Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Ty Smith and Jimmy Vesey also scored for the Devils, who are off to a 6-3-2 start.
With the score tied 3-3, Subban's shot from the point late in the second period eluded Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight for his first goal of the season. Zacha gave the Devils a two-goal cushion with a power-play goal at 4:44 of the third. Smith and Vesey closed out the scoring.
Sam Bennett – returning to the Panthers lineup after missing four games with an upper body injury — opened the scoring at 3:53 of the first, knocking the puck past Blackwood for his fifth goal of the year.
Johnsson tied the contest on the power-play at 15:46.
Hischier put the Devils ahead 2-1, tipping a shot by Smith past Knight.
The second period started with three goals in the first two minutes. Florida captain Aleksander Barkov scored his team-leading eighth goal at 24 seconds before Owen Tippett put the Panthers ahead 3-2 at 1:29 with his third of the season.
Barkov's goal was the 189th of his career, passing Olli Jokinen for the most goals in Panthers franchise history.
Johnsson tied the contest at 3 with his second of the game and sixth of the season at 1:58 of the second.
NOTES: Devils F Miles Wood, who was injured in a preseason game, would be out indefinitely following right hip surgery. ... Devils forward Tyce Thompson made his season debut. ... Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton missed his third straight game with a lower body injury. ... New Jersey 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 and defenseman Kevin Connauton. ... The teams meet again Nov. 18 and April 2 in Florida.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Panthers: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
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