The New Jersey Devils had a big win on Tuesday night against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. While the Panthers entered the game on a seven-game winning streak, the Devils came into the matchup following a shutout loss to the San Jose Sharks. With some tough matchups coming up, the Devils needed to put that loss behind them and stop the Panthers’ momentum to get an important two points. That’s exactly what they did, and it was in large part thanks to Brenden Dillon.
In the first period, the Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Jack Hughes goal assisted by a beautiful pass from Jesper Bratt through a ton of traffic. This marked Hughes’ 300th career point. The Devils held the lead throughout the first period, keeping the Panthers at bay even through a 5-on-3 disadvantage near the end of the period.
The Panthers came out strong in the second period. The Devils couldn't get the puck out of their defensive zone. Sam Reinhart scored the equalizer on a power play. Momentum shifted to the Panthers. The Devils needed to find something before the Panthers could find the back of the net again.
Then Brenden Dillon and Florida’s Jonah Gadjovich threw down in a heavyweight fight. Both players delivered blow after blow. Dillon was the one who ended up on the ice, but something changed for the Devils afterward.
HEAVYWEIGHT TILT IN SUNRISE pic.twitter.com/Xv4YR7FutD
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 13, 2024
Dillon and Gadjovich’s fight jolted the Devils awake. They capitalized on the energy, putting more pressure on the Panthers and maintaining the puck in the offensive zone. Timo Meier scored near the end of the second period.
The Devils kept it going in the third period with a Paul Cotter goal. Luke Hughes played excellent defense. Jacob Markstrom didn’t allow a goal in the period. Ondrej Palat scored an empty-netter to cap off the 4-1 victory.
Dillon was near the bottom of the GameScore Impact Card for the game, with just three Devils below him. But what doesn’t show on the Impact Card is the impact of his fight, which was the Devils’ spark. In his postgame interview with ESPN, Dillon revealed that when Gadjovich asked him to fight, he felt like he couldn’t say no because his team needed something to get them going. As a physical player, Dillon knew what he needed to do.
The Devils showed they can beat the reigning champions. They look to keep the momentum going in a tough week with another game against the Panthers on Thursday and a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.