Game 2 : NJD @ FLA – Rat Trick

A slow start in Game 1 by the Panthers resulted in them finding themselves down by 3 early. They didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. Just 23 seconds in, Stephen Weiss would score giving Florida the lead and much better start than the previous game. The rest of the period would be rather uneventful with only 7 shots mustered by both teams combined. However, early in the second at 1:12 Weiss would get his second of the game giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. That lead would increase to 3 at 14:39 when Marcel Goc would get one by Brodeur.

Down by 3 in the third the Devils would try to mount the comeback. Just 48 seconds in Travis Zajac would score bringing the Devils within 2. Just over a minute later, Ilya Kovalchuk would wrist one past Theodore making it a one goal game. The Panthers would hold on though with Tomas Fleischmann getting the empty net just as the buzzer went. With the victory secured, the Panthers faithful rained down plastic rats on the ice (the rat trick) with the series tied 1-1.