Hall extends streak, Devils fall to Florida

SUNRISE, Fla. - Not even the return of Cory Schneider could stop one of the league's hottest teams.
The Florida Panthers spoiled Schneider's return to the crease, as the Devils fell to Florida, 3-2, on Thursday night. Despite the loss, however, the Devils remain in the first wild-card spot in the East with 74 points.

Here are 10 takeaways from the game:
1. Newly acquired forward Patrick Maroon made his debut for the Devils against the Panthers. On a line with Brian Boyle and Blake Coleman, Maroon dropped the gloves on his first shift with Panthers center Michael Haley and later added assists on Taylor Hall's second period goal and Jesper Bratt's third period goal.

2. Cory Schneider made his return to the net after a 16-game absence due to injury. Schneider's last start was Jan. 23. On Thursday night, Schneider stopped 26 of 29 shots in the loss.
   3. The Panthers took the 1-0 lead at 6:51 of the first period on an odd play. Nico Hischier and Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad both slid into Schneider, which pushed him and the puck into the net. The Devils would challenge the goal for goaltender interference, but it was ruled a good goal. For a second straight game, the Devils lost their timeout early in a game.
   Tweet from @NJviDs: Better look pic.twitter.com/DticYvudl8
   4. After going a perfect 100 percent on special teams on Tuesday night against the Penguins, the Devils continued to make good on their special teams opportunities. The power play went 1-for-2 and the penalty kill was a perfect 2-for2.
   5. The Devils have killed off all nine Florida power play opportunities this season.
   6. The longest point streak in the NHL continued Thursday night. For a 15th straight game, and 23 straight appearance, Hall picked up a point against the Devils' opponent. Over those 23 games, Hall has 16 goals and 17 assists. The 16 straight games with at least a point is the longest point streak in franchise history, surpassing Brian Gionta and Patrick Elias, who scored in 15 straight games in 2005-06 and 1999-00 respectively.
   7. It's a career best for Hall! The Devils' dynamic forward scored against the Panthers, for his 28th goal of the season. His second period goal at :50 tied the game at one. He now tops his prior career best 27 goals in a season, which he accomplished while with the Oilers in 2011-12 and 2013-14. Hall leads the New Jersey Devils in goals and points with 69 (28 goals and 41 assists).
   Tweet from @NJDevils: When statisticians say your consecutive game point-streak is at 16 but you know it's really at 23. #NJDvsFLA| #NJDvsEverybody pic.twitter.com/nH9VPg6UXU
   8. Maroon and Sami Vatanen assisted on Hall's 28th goal of the season. The assist for Vatanen gives the defenseman his ninth assist in 10 games.
   9. Skating 6-on-5, the Devils made things interesting for their fans who came to support them on the road. Jesper Bratt scored his 13th of the season with 2:07 left in the third period. The Devils trailed by a single goal, 3-2, but were later unable to find the equalizer.
   Tweet from @NJviDs: #NJDvsFLA 3RD PERIOD3-2 FLABRATT!!!! pic.twitter.com/v34qK4AbDo
   10. The Devils continue their three-game road trip with a stop in Carolina on Friday night to complete their 13th of 16 back-to-back occasions this season. The Devils will return home on Sunday to host the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time in franchise history.