For 18 minutes, the Florida Panthers seemed to have the Devils' number.
Despite some dangerous 5-on-5 chances for the Devils, it was the Panthers who carried play and held a 12-2 shot advantage. Then things changed in two minutes.
A late barrage of shots led to a Kyle Palmieri goal with 9.4 seconds left in the first period, and the Devils parlayed that strike into a three-goal lead and an eventual 3-2 win on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark.
While Palmieri's eighth goal of the season capped off the unexpected swing, it started with a long stretch of penalty kills, where the Devils were forced to kill three Panther power plays in quick success midway through the period.