“Bob’s been playing really good,” Florida center Eetu Luostarinen said. “He’s so calm in the net.”
Feeding off those momentum-shifting saves, the Panthers padded their lead when Niko Mikkola flew down from the blue line and deposited a stunning cross-ice feed from Tkachuk to make it 3-0 at 11:18.
After the goal, you could see Mikkola repeatedly mouthing “Wow!”
“That was an elite pass from him,” said Mikkola, who signed a three-year deal with the Panthers this past summer. “I almost missed it. He made it pretty easy for me. Yeah, it was a great pass.”
Showing off his prowess on the power play, Oliver Ekman-Larsson helped the Panthers add another goal with a highlight-reel assist. After diving to his left to keep the puck in the zone, he fired a point shot that Reinhart tipped past Vanecek to make it 4-0 just 59 seconds into the third period.
Over his last four games against New Jersey, Reinhart has notched six goals.
“He’s one of the smartest players in the league,” Barkov said of Reinhart, a top power-play forward in the NHL. “He has that stick that suits him well in front of the net. He can do whatever he wants with that.”
Spoiling Bobrovsky’s shutout bid, the Devils finally got on the board when Erik Haula tipped in a shot from Jack Huges on the power play to cut down Florida’s lead down to 4-1 at 3:35. Not done there, Michael McLeod then scored on a delayed penalty to make it 4-2 at 8:51.
With 4:04 left in regulation, the Devils gained another power play. Starting with their goaltender pulled for a 6-on-4 advantage, that quickly turned to 6-on-3 when the Panthers broke a stick. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, Bratt connected on a shot to make it 4-3 at 17:37.
From there, the Panthers clamped it down to secure the win and improve to 1-2-0.
“We built a well-earned, solid lead,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “We got into a little penalty trouble there toward the end. [The Devils] are in the top-three teams in the NHL if they’re going to mount a comeback on skill, they can do it. Their risk profile completely changes, so they’re making plays that if they pay off they have a huge payoff. If not, they don’t care, they’re already down 4-1.
“They’re hard to handle, especially when you’re in the penalty box. We got some big blocks at the end. All the little dirty, gritty plays that you need to win, and the bench feels good. I’m happy with the way we came in, the way we started and the confidence that we built.”
THEY SAID IT
“If I knew how to do that, I would’ve played. Those guys, their hands are so good. Interesting that (Evan) Rodrigues has found him now twice. They’re going to start looking for those tips and start moving off each other. That truly is chemistry, and it takes a little while to build it. Great hands, right? Not mine.” – Paul Maurice on Sam Reinhart’s tipping skills around the net
“I think everybody worked hard to get this win. It’s a good thing to end this road trip with a win. … We’re going to feel good to go home. It’s going to be nice to play in front of our fans.” – Eetu Luostarinen on ending the road trip with a win
CATS STATS
- Paul Maurice took over third place on the NHL’s all-time list for games coached (1,769).
- Sergei Bobrovsky is now tied for the second-most wins in franchise history (106).
- Bobrovsky made 13 high-danger saves, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his second straight multi-assist game.
- Uvis Balinskis led the Panthers in xGF% at 5-on-5 (52.20%)
WHAT’S NEXT?
It’s finally our turn to host!
For the first time since the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers will be playing for points in their own barn when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
To score tickets, click HERE.
