New Jersey Devils Secure Back-to-Back Wins Against the Florida Panthers
Jesper Bratt netted his second hat trick in the NHL, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, marking their second win in three days.
“We took a step as a group, built some character these past two games, It was a good learning experience. We got better today.” : said Bratt, whose other hat trick came on March 19, 2023.
Stefan Noesen netted two goals, while Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes each provided three assists for the Devils (12-6-2), who claimed a 4-1 victory on Tuesday. They have won five of their last six games with a record of 5-1-0. Jake Allen stopped 25 shots on goal.
“For the most part, it was a real consistent effort in all facets of the game: 5-on-5, special teams, goaltending, Everyone did their part tonight.” : New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said.
Sam Reinhart and Jesper Boqvist found the back of the net for the Panthers (11-5-1), who had a seven-game winning streak before being defeated twice by the Devils. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots.
At 10:01 of the first period, Noesen scored to put New Jersey ahead 1-0. He emerged victorious in a confrontation with Dmitry Kulikov near the net and scored on the follow-up shot from Luke Hughes’ powerful slap shot using his backhand.
Boqvist equalized the score at 1-1 at 12:13. He received a pass from Matthew Tkachuk in the left circle, deked Dougie Hamilton by putting the puck between his legs as he skated towards the slot, then switched to his forehand at the top of the crease before slipping the puck past Allen’s right pad.
Bratt scored a power-play goal through a screen from the top of the right circle with two seconds left in the period, giving the Devils a 2-1 lead.
Reinhart equalized the score to 2-2 at 4:45 of the second period. He glided towards a victory at the face-off thanks to Aleksander Barkov before scoring past Allen’s glove from the left circle. Dawson Mercer regained the lead for the Devils with a 3-2 score at 5:56 after Jack Hughes’ pass bounced off him and Kulikov’s skate for a power-play goal.
With only 11 seconds left in the period, Noesen scored 4-2 by finishing a one-timer from Hischier’s pass, scoring another power-play goal. New Jersey had a 60% success rate on the power play, going 3-for-5. Florida had a 0-out-of-5 record. Bratt increased the lead to 5-2 in the third period at 3:50, scoring a goal from the top of the right circle that slipped under Bobrovsky’s blocker.
Bratt sealed his hat trick by scoring a short-handed goal into the empty net at 14:48, making the final score 6-2.
Image Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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