Devils get 2 goals from Connor Brown to earn first win vs. Lightning

Field Level Media|published: Sat 11th October, 22:17 2025

NHL: New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning

Oct 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec (17) and Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) fight to control the puck during the first period at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Connor Brown scored his first two goals as a member of the visiting New Jersey Devils in their first win this season, a 5-3 victory that kept the Tampa Bay Lightning winless on Saturday night.

Brown, who netted 13 goals for the Edmonton Oilers last season, scored in the first and third periods as the Devils rolled to victory in a matchup of Eastern Conference playoff clubs from last season.

Timo Meier and Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist apiece. Luke Hughes and Arseny Gritsyuk each had two assists. Jacob Markstrom made 14 saves for New Jersey.

The Lightning's Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh and Darren Raddysh tallied goals. Max Crozier had two assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 22 shots.

In the opening period, Meier notched his first goal at 8:30 after Hischier's hard rush near Vasilevskiy. Meier followed on the rebound for the 1-0 lead.

Just 1:47 later, Gritsyuk jetted in from the left wing and centered a pass in front of the goalie. Brown chipped it in at 10:17 for his initial tally for the Devils.

The offensive onslaught continued 3:31 later when Hischier found a puck behind Vasilevskiy, and the captain swept the puck in for his first marker.

As bad as the score was, Tampa Bay had no answer in their offensive end and was outshot 16-2 by New Jersey in the one-sided period.

While the second saw the Lightning hold a slight 7-6 shot advantage, they found a spark on offense and put a pair of goals on the board to cut the deficit to 3-2.

After jumping over the boards during a line change, Brayden Point fed Gourde, streaking down the slot, for his first goal at 7:31. McDonagh hammered one home with 2:37 left in the frame as the Lightning headed to the dressing room with all the momentum.

However, New Jersey scored twice in the first 6:29 of the third to help put the game away as Bratt recorded his 450th career point with a breakaway goal. Then Brown notched his second goal.

Raddysh's marker at 16:17 rounded out the scoring.

--Field Level Media