Timo Meier had a goal and an assist to help the New Jersey Devils rally for a 3-1 win against the visiting Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier scored for the Devils, who have won three in a row. Jake Allen made 21 saves.
Evan Rodrigues scored, and Daniil Tarasov made 30 saves for the Panthers, who have lost three straight after winning their first three games.
Meier gave New Jersey its first lead at 6:23 of the third period when he was in front to tip Simon Nemec’s shot from the right point under Tarasov’s right arm to make it 2-1.
Hischier capitalized on a failed clearing attempt by Florida to put the Devils ahead 3-1 at 11:47. Dawson Mercer dived to get a puck to Hischier above the slot, and the Devils captain took it to the right hashmark before firing a wrist shot past Tarasov’s glove.
The Panthers appeared to cut it to 3-2 at 18:43 of the third courtesy of Sam Reinhart, but officials waved it off for incidental contact with the goalie. Florida challenged that there was no contact, but the call on the ice stood.
Hughes scored on the power play to tie it 1-1 at 5:48 of the second. Ten seconds after Florida defenseman Gustav Forsling got in front of a Luke Hughes attempt from the right circle, Jack Hughes took a feed from Jesper Bratt and roofed a snap shot from the bottom of the left circle short side under the crossbar.
Rodrigues struck early to give Florida a 1-0 lead at 1:59 of the first period. Marchand carried the puck to the right circle before cutting to the middle for a chance that was stopped by Allen. But the New Jersey goalie couldn’t corral the rebound and, with a scramble at his crease, it rolled over to Rodrigues, who chipped it in from the left side.
