The New Jersey Devils handed the Florida Panthers their first loss in three weeks with a 4-1 decision on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Devils will look to repeat the feat and hand the Panthers consecutive setbacks for just the second time this season when the teams reconvene in Sunrise, Fla.
New Jersey is no stranger to ending win streaks for Florida, as the former halted the latter’s nine-game run last season.
“It took a lot of work, a lot of competitiveness and some resilience,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “For me, we took a step here (on Tuesday), really knowing and feeling of what is required to compete against the league’s best.
“It takes what it takes to be able to compete with the league’s best.”
New Jersey’s Jack Hughes continued his goal-scoring binge in the first period, tallying for the fourth time in his last four games to become the fastest player in franchise history to record 300 career points. Hughes needed 325 games to reach 300 points, besting the mark of Kirk Muller (332).
Timo Meier scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat added insurance later in the third for the Devils, who have won six of their last eight games.
Sam Reinhart scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season and seventh in his last seven games for Florida. The Panthers, however, were unable to muster anything else and fell for the first time since Oct. 22.
That said, Reinhart is itching to get back on the ice in his bid to cool off the Devils.
“You get a little bit of that playoff atmosphere in the middle of the season,” Reinhart said. “Opportunities like that have to excite you. A couple teams that have been there the last couple years, playing extra months. It’s going to be a fun one. A couple adjustments on both sides and right back to battle.”
Reinhart has collected seven goals and five assists during his eight-game point streak.
Florida could receive a boost to its lineup on Thursday in the form of second-line center Sam Bennett, who sat out on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Bennett felt better on Wednesday but wanted to wait until Thursday morning to see if he’d be ready to compete in the rematch.
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to get the nod after taking a rare night off on Tuesday. The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient has won five straight starts since receiving the early hook after permitting five goals in two periods against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 22.
Bobrovsky would be wise to keep tabs on Jesper Bratt, who set up two goals on Tuesday to boost his team-leading assist (16) and point totals (21). Bratt has two goals and five assists in his last four games versus the Panthers.
Jacob Markstrom turned aside 34 shots on Tuesday to record his fifth win in his last six outings. He owns a 6-5-1 career record versus the Panthers, who selected him in the second round of the 2008 NHL Draft.
