Timo Meier and Nico Hischier each scored in the third period, and Jake Allen stopped 21 shots as the New Jersey Devils won their home opener 3-1 over the short-handed Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Meier broke a 1-1 tie midway through the final period, firing his team-leading third goal of the season past Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov at 6:23. Hischier added insurance at 11:47 with his second goal of the year to seal New Jersey’s third straight victory following a season-opening loss at Carolina.
Jack Hughes also found the back of the net for the Devils, knotting the contest 1-1 at 5:48 of the second period. His goal was assisted by Meier and Jesper Bratt — the 300th career assist for Bratt.
“It’s great to get the home crowd going and keep our momentum rolling,” said Hischier. “We’ve had to grind through some early injuries, but everyone’s stepping up.”
Evan Rodrigues opened the scoring for Florida just 1:59 into the game, tapping in a loose puck for his second of the season. But the Panthers’ offense was stymied from there, going 0-for-5 on the power play and failing to capitalize on several quality chances.
Allen, making his first start since starter Jacob Markstrom suffered a lower-body injury Monday in Columbus, held firm in net to earn his first win of the season. Markstrom is expected to miss a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Tarasov — acquired by Florida in a June trade from Columbus — was sharp in defeat. The 26-year-old made 30 saves and turned away several key opportunities, including three late in the second period from Hughes and a breakaway attempt by Lucas Glendening.
“He gave us every chance to win,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Tarasov. “We just couldn’t get anything going on the power play.”
Florida has now dropped three straight on the road after opening the season with three home victories. The Panthers continue to battle major injuries to key players — captain Aleksander Barkov (knee, out 7–9 months), Matthew Tkachuk (torn adductor, out at least two months), forward Tomas Nosek, and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.
With the win, New Jersey improved to 3-1-0, while Florida fell to 3-3-0. Devils: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Panthers: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
