Here are some observations from the game:
• It’s never a bad play to put the puck on the net. Nico Hischier showed why. He spun out of the corner with the puck and threw it toward the goal. The puck deflected off Forsling and into the net to tie the game at 1-1. More importantly, Hischier’s 20th goal of the season came 1:46 after Florida opened the scoring. It was a great response.
"It's a 0-0 game going into the third. We got scored on pretty quick in the third, to get it right back is important," Hischier said. "It gives us the momentum right back."
• Things got a little testy halfway through the third period. It all started with Matthew Tkachuk throwing a high hit on Hischier in the Devils zone. Jonas Siegenthaler immediately went after Tkachuk and in the process all 10 players on the ice came together for a scrum. There’s a history of the Panthers going after Hischier after he injured Florida captain Aleksander Barkov two seasons ago.
"Just a little too emotional for me. I didn't see him coming. I don't think I even touched the puck," Hischier said. "That's part of it. He made the hit and I got a little emotional there.
"I want to stick up for myself. I didn't like the hit. I got a little emotional there. That's hockey."
• The first half of the game was the definition of a “low event” hockey game. Both teams were playing suffocating defense, taking away space, staying above on transitions, keeping the puck on the outside, no turnovers. There were no odd-man rushes or Grade A chances. It was mostly dump, chase, grind, repeat.
"I thought both teams were sitting on top of each other for two periods waiting for the other to crack," Keefe said. "We had to stay with it. In that sense it was a good patient, disciplined game in that sense. We didn't give up much for two periods."
"Really structured. I don't think anybody wanted to risk too much," Hischier said. "That's how things sometimes go. The team that cracks first loses the game."
• The Devils played the game without forward Stefan Noesen (illness). Tomas Tatar was elevated to fill in his spot alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. On the top power play, Dawson Mercer took over for Noesen and Nathan Bastian was placed in Mercer’s spot on the second power play unit.