The New Jersey Devils beat the Florida Panthers for the second game in a row on Nov. 14. After sweeping the two games against the Panthers, here are three takeaways from Thursday night’s game.
Final Minute Matters
In both the first and second periods, the Devils managed to score buzzer beater goals. Jesper Bratt scored within the final second of the first period. His goal allowed the Devils to take a one goal lead over the Panthers at the last possible second of the period.
Related: Stefan Noesen Brings Depth to Devils’ Bottom-Six
With 21 seconds left in the second period, the Panthers were sent to the box for interference. Ten seconds later, the Devils were able to capitalize on the man advantage. Stefan Noesen scored the third goal for the Devils, and his second of the night. Again, this goal put them into a one goal lead over the Panthers.
These two goals prove that the period is not over until that buzzer sounds.
Bratt Second Career Hat Trick
Bratt managed to have an incredible night, scoring three of the six goals for the Devils last night, allowing him to earn his second career hat trick.
The first goal being the buzzer beater at the end of the first period set the tone for the night.
His second goal came towards the beginning of the third period. Four minutes in, Bratt managed to get the puck and send it to the back of the net. Although Sergei Bobrovsky attempted to block the shot, he was unsuccessful.
Finally, towards the end of the third period, the Panthers had a two man advantage when Dougie Hamilton went to the penalty box for a two minute minor for interference. However, it was Bratt who benefited from this in the end. With the Devils down a player, the Panthers pulled Bobrovsky from the net. While this was an attempt to make sure they were able to cut the Devils lead down, in the end, the Devils prevailed.
Bratt got a hold of the puck, sending it across the ice and into the net. This goal not only solidified Bratt’s second career hat trick, it was also the final goal scored amongst the two teams, guaranteeing the Devils’ win.
Incredibly Strong Penalty Kill
In two instances in the final period, the Panthers pulled their goalie while on the penalty in an attempt to finally cut down the Devils lead. Even with a two man advantage on the Devils, they were unable to successfully score.
Luckily for the Devils, they had more benefit from the empty net. The second time the goalie was pulled, Bratt was able to score his third goal of the game, earning him his hat trick.
Not only that, both the Devils and the Panthers had 17 penalty minutes each. While the Panthers had an extra attacker for 17 out of the 60 game minutes, they were unable to stop four of the six goals that the Devils scored while they were on the penalty kill. Even though they were down a man on the ice, they were still able to outperform the Panthers.
While the Devils only had two more shot attempts than the Panthers, the Devils with 29 to the Panthers 27, it was the Devils’ shot attempts that mattered more in the end. With four of those shots hitting their mark with the Devils on the penalty kill, they clearly had not only a better penalty kill, but also better puck control throughout the entire game.
Florida Road Trip Continues
The Devils look to earn two more points when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Nov. 16.
