Devils get 3 power play scores, top Panthers 6-2 to finish sweep of Cup champs
Jesper Bratt's hat trick helps tame the Panthers
Jesper Bratt nets a hat trick for the New Jersey Devils in their 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers.
SUNRISE, Fla. -- — Jesper Bratt got his second career hat trick, Stefan Noesen scored twice and the New Jersey Devils beat the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Thursday night to sweep a two-game series with the Stanley Cup champions.
Jack Hughes had a goal and two assists for the Devils, who also won 4-1 in Florida on Tuesday. Jake Allen stopped 25 shots for New Jersey, which got three power-play scores — along with a short-handed empty-netter with 5:12 left, Bratt's third of the night — and is now 7-2-0 in its last nine games.
Sam Reinhart — the first player with 13 goals this season — and Jesper Boqvist scored for Florida, which hadn't dropped two straight since Oct. 10 and 12. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves.
Devils: New Jersey became the first team this season to get two goals in the final 12 seconds of periods. Both were power-play tallies; Bratt scored with two seconds left in the first, Noesen with 11 seconds left in the second.
Panthers: Florida got Sam Bennett back Thursday after he missed Tuesday's game with a minor upper-body issue. Bennett had an assist on Boqvist's goal.
The Panthers, down 4-2, opened the third period on a power play but it was wiped out 22 seconds later when Carter Verhaeghe was called for tripping — one of many calls that Florida wasn't thrilled about during the evening.
The Devils already have two games with three power-play goals this season. They had five in the last six regular seasons combined.
The Devils visit Tampa Bay on Saturday and will try to go 3-0-0 in Florida this season; they haven't had a perfect record in the Sunshine State (excluding COVID-affected seasons) since going 4-0-0 at Florida and Tampa Bay in 2000-01.
The Panthers host NHL-leading Winnipeg on Saturday.
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Regular Season Series
NJ leads 2-0
Game Information
- Referees:
- Kendrick Nicholson
- Michael Markovic
- Linesmen:
- Tommy Hughes
- CJ Murray
2024-25 Metropolitan Division Standings
Team | W | L | OTL | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Washington | 17 | 6 | 2 | 36 |
New Jersey | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 |
Carolina | 16 | 8 | 1 | 33 |
NY Rangers | 13 | 10 | 1 | 27 |
Philadelphia | 12 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
Pittsburgh | 11 | 12 | 4 | 26 |
Columbus | 11 | 10 | 3 | 25 |
NY Islanders | 9 | 10 | 7 | 25 |