Hurricanes Defeat Devils; Lightning ⁤Fall to Panthers in NHL Playoffs

RALEIGH,⁤ N.C. — The New ⁢Jersey Devils, featuring Swiss players Nico Hischier⁢ and Timo Meier,⁤ are facing mounting pressure after a 3-1 loss ⁤to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. The defeat puts ⁣them down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Jesper Bratt of Sweden gave the Devils an early lead, scoring in the fourth‍ minute. However,the Hurricanes responded in the second period,seizing⁣ control⁢ of the game.A⁤ critical face-off loss by Devils⁣ captain‍ Hischier in the‍ offensive zone preceded Carolina’s go-ahead goal.The Hurricanes sealed the victory with⁤ an empty-net goal with 37 ⁣seconds remaining.

Meier and Hischier both finished the game with a minus-2 rating. Jonas Siegenthaler remains sidelined⁣ with an‍ injury. ‍The series ⁤shifts to New Jersey for Game 3 ⁣on Saturday night,where the Devils will⁤ have⁢ home-ice ‍advantage for the first time.

Panthers Dominate ⁢Lightning in Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning, ⁤with janis⁢ Moser, are struggling to find⁢ their footing in the ⁣playoffs⁤ after a⁣ 6-2 loss to the ⁢Florida ‍Panthers in front of their home crowd. This comes after the Lightning defeated the Panthers ⁤5-1 late in the regular⁣ season.

The Lightning capitalized ⁣on a power play to ‍tie the game after an⁤ early Panthers goal. Though, they were unable to answer the Panthers’ second goal, which came with ⁢45 seconds left in the first period. Florida then added three more goals in the second period. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy faced a barrage of ⁢shots as the lightning took only three penalties,each resulting in a‍ Panthers goal.

Moser played 13 minutes but did not record a point. Game 2 of ⁣the series is scheduled for Friday night ⁤in Tampa. ‍Last year, the Panthers eliminated the Lightning‍ in the first round of the playoffs,⁣ winning the series 4-1 en route to the Stanley Cup Final. ‍The Panthers have now won the ‍first⁢ two games ‍of this year’s series on the road.