New Jersey beats Florida 4-1 to snap Panthers' 7-game winning streak

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Timo Meier scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves and the New Jersey Devils snapped Florida's seven-game winning streak by beating the Panthers 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Jack Hughes scored in the first period for the Devils, Paul Cotter put New Jersey up 3-1 with 15:07 left and Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt each had a pair of assists. Ondrej Palat had an empty-netter to cap the win.

It was career game No. 498 for Markstrom. Only 80 goalies have reached the 500-game mark in NHL history.

Sam Reinhart got his 12th goal for Florida, and Spencer Knight made 20 saves for the Panthers. Florida played without forward Sam Bennett, a late scratch with what the team said was a minor upper-body issue.

Devils: New Jersey has shown resilience all season and Tuesday was another example. With this win the Devils improved to 5-2-1 this season coming off a loss.

Panthers: The game started a very tough 10-game stretch for Florida — two games against New Jersey, two against NHL-leading Winnipeg, two games with Carolina and single matchups against Chicago, Colorado, Washington and Toronto in that span.

Florida's Jonah Gadjovich and New Jersey's Brenden Dillon had a wild fight midway through the second period, 30 seconds of them holding each other's sweater with their left hands and throwing constant punches with their rights. Gadjovich's helmet was knocked off and his head was tucked inside his sweater for half of the fight. Dillon ended up going down first.

The Devils improved to 9-0-0 this season when leading after two periods. It's almost a guaranteed win in the NHL these days when leading after 40 minutes; teams came into Tuesday with a 181-4-15 record this season in that scenario.

The teams meet again Thursday night in Sunrise.

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Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) and New Jersey Devils left wing Erik Haula (56) go for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (7) go for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) and New Jersey Devils right wing Stefan Noesen (11) go for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) skates with the puck as New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63) defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and New Jersey Devils center Justin Dowling, right, go for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) is congratulated after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) watches as the puck gets past New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, left, on a goal scored by Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart, not shown, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (71) defend the goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, against the Florida Panthers, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers left wing Jonah Gadjovich, left, and New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon, right, trade blows during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead the men of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pack them with food, water and handwarmers and launch them in darkness toward the front line, a 15-minute flight away.

The unit commander who goes by the callsign Kit, or “cat,” pilots the tiny uncrewed aircraft from a basement room he jokingly calls their Airbnb. Guided by the drone's night-vision camera, he drops the 10-kilogram (22-pound) packages one by one as close as he can to the position where as many as five infantrymen battle Russian forces in the late autumn chill. The delivery will hold them for two or three days.

That's about as far as Kit dares look into the future. He knows that the reelection of Donald Trump will change something in his life, but as far as he and other Ukrainian soldiers on the front are concerned, trying to figure out how is a game for politicians. For him, all that matters is the distance he measures in the meters (yards) that Russian forces advance or retreat in the front-line sector that is his responsibility.

“We are trying with all our might to destroy them and win back our territories, so that it does not go any further, so that there are no more destroyed cities and destroyed lives,” Kit said. “We need to focus on the present in our work and try to do it effectively in the here and now.”

But he cannot escape the sense of a gathering storm.

Russia is increasingly hitting the Kharkiv region with unstoppable, building-leveling glide bombs and swarms of drones and chipping away at territory there. Its troops are advancing in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia's Kursk border region to help beat back Ukrainian forces there, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments.

Trump, who has called President Vladimir Putin “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine, has repeatedly criticized American backing of Ukraine. He characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the greatest salesman on Earth” for winning U.S. aid.

Zelenskyy was among the first world leaders to publicly congratulate Trump, and said the two discussed how to end “Russian aggression against Ukraine” when they met in September.

Between now and Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, the Biden administration has said it will send as much aid to Ukraine as possible to help hold back Russian forces and possess a strong hand in any potential peace negotiations. But Russia is pressing just as hard for an advantage in what most believe are crucial weeks to come.

Aviator, a Khartia soldier launching the supply drones, said he can only do his job and hope for the best. His attention is fixed on how many hours remain before the coming dawn, when Russian forces will be able to spot the uncrewed aircraft and shoot them down. If his mission fails, he knows that the men he calls brothers will suffer.

“You feel you’re useful, that you are in the right place, that the lives and health of our brothers depend on your work," said Aviator, who returned to Ukraine from a job in Poland to join the army. "We’re just doing our job, we don’t have time to worry about the election.”

Tolstiy, who runs a drone repair workshop not far away, knows firsthand what happens to territory captured by Russia. A former infantryman, he fought in Bakhmut and watched the city fall to Russian forces who bombed it to rubble. He confessed that sometimes, reading the news makes him want to give up. But that's simply unthinkable.

“It’s like we’re in another world here,” he said. “When you see that your comrades are injured or killed, it motivates you.”

Lori Hinnant contributed from Kyiv.

Servicemen of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pack a Vampire drone with food and water to launch toward the frontline to Ukrainian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Ukraine's Khartia brigade officer, who goes by callsign Kit, left, sits while his soldiers pilot drones in a shelter on the frontline near Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Servicemen of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pilot drones in a shelter on the frontline near Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Servicemen of Ukraine's Khartia brigade pack a Vampire drone with food and water to launch toward the frontline to Ukrainian positions near Kharkiv, Ukraine, late Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A soldier of Ukraine's Khartia brigade, callsign Tolstiy, inspects a FPV drone in a drone repair workshop close to the front line in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)