Devils 6, Panthers 2: Statement made

The Devils went into Florida and beat the champs in their own building twice, outscoring them 10-3 in aggregate.

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A few thoughts following New Jersey’s second win in a row over Florida:

Statement made 🎙️

If there were any doubts the Devils were ready to take a big step forward and make noise come April, they should be gone following another multi-goal victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions in their own building.

The Devils checked every box imaginable in Thursday’s 6-2 victory. Their star players produced offense against one of the best defensive teams in the league – that also controlled the matchups. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt all put forth three-point performances while Timo Meier had eight attempts and four chances.

They won the special teams battle convincingly, scoring three goals in fewer than three minutes of power play time while holding a potent Panthers unit off the board entirely.

They answered the bell physically, not backing down in a single battle from start to finish. Jonas Siegenthaler was dishing out cross-checks like candy on Halloween, Paul Cotter and Brenden Dillon hit everything that moved, Jack Hughes was getting involved after whistles, and the list goes on. The Devils showed great team toughness and were quick to push back whenever it was needed.

New Jersey also defended very well. They allowed only five high-danger chances, and 1.39 expected goals, over 47 minutes of 5v5 play. That is next to nothing given all the high-end weapons on the Panthers roster.

And, who can forget, the Devils also got saves. Jacob Markstrom stopped 34-35 and Jake Allen followed it up by turning away 25 of 27 shots.

No matter how well you play, you need goaltending if you’re going to beat a good team. Both guys came through big time for the Devils.

Obviously, a pair of wins against a great team in November doesn’t guarantee anything come playoff time.

I just think it showed a lot about what this Devils squad is about. Much like their trip to Czechia, it would’ve been easy to be happy with one win and go home with a split. But this team meant business and was determined to get both. That’s a good sign.

Luke Hughes is levelling up 📈