Florida Panthers rally to comeback, edge New Jersey Devils 4-3 -NHL Match Update
New Jersey looked like they were ready to grab their third straight victory as they scored three straight in the opening period, but Florida was committed to making a comeback, which is exactly what they did as the Panthers edged the Devils, 4-3, Monday
night, November 21, 2011, at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, United States.
The Panthers are now only two points away from tying the Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 25, but even if they do not, Florida has certainly established themselves as one of the best teams in the 2011-2012 National Hockey
League (NHL) regular season thus far.
"We thought in the first period we were in control besides that three-minute gap where we had a couple of bad bounces," Florida’s right winger, Kris Versteeg, said. "When you give skilled players like (Patrick) Elias and Kovalchuk [chances], they're going
to put it in the back of the net. But we found a way to win. We're going to have to be happy about that tonight and just let the game go and come back on an even keel tomorrow."
Ilya Kovalchuk, Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus scored three straight for the New Jersey Devils to give them a commanding, 3-0, lead in first 11:49 of game play.
The Devils also managed to kill of two straight penalties which were awarded to them, giving off an impression that Florida would face tough competition in the upcoming minutes.
Kris Versteeg scored two straight in the second period, bringing the Florida Panthers back into the matchup and raising his total to 11 in the season.
Stephen Weiss levelled the match nearly midway through the third period while his team was shorthanded with Tomas Fleischmann and Jack Skille on the bench for holding and interference respectively.
Tomas Fleischmann came out strong after his penalty and potted the game-winner through Martin Brodeur with only 2:03 remaining to play, giving Florida that extra firepower they need to win the match.
"We found a way to win," Versteeg added after Florida took their second straight contest.
Florida has the upcoming two at home, the next being the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
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