Panthers 3, Devils 0 (Final) newjerseydevils.com (Oct. 11) – Penalties proved too costly for the Devils to overcome in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Looking for their second win of the season, the Devils took six straight penalties in the game, including five in the second period, and the Panthers made Brent Sutter's team pay.

Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton each recorded power-play goals, and Rostislav Olesz scored at even strength to drop the Devils to 1-3-0 on the season.

The Devils' lone win came in a 4-1 decision over the Panthers last Saturday.

Martin Brodeur stopped 28 of 31 Florida shots, but was outdone by Tomas Vokoun, who turned away all 29 New Jersey shots to record a shutout in the Panthers' first victory of 2007-08.

Patrik Elias recorded four of New Jersey's 29 shots.

With the Devils trailing 1-0 in the second period, David Clarkson was called for tripping at 13:00. Immediately following Clarkson's penalty, the Devils bench was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct.

Arron Asham joined Clarkson in the box, and Jokinen and the Panthers needed just five seconds of the two-man advantage to convert for a 2-0 Florida lead at 13:05.

In the final minute of the second, with Brian Gionta sent off for holding, Horton handed the Devils a three-goal deficit when he beat Brodeur with a wrist shot from the right circle at 19:27.

The Panthers outshot the Devils 16-8 in the second period, and finished with a 31-29 edge in the game. But New Jersey failed to cash in on any of its five power-play chances, while Florida went 2-for-7 and spent a combined 9:40 of the contest on the man advantage.

It was Olesz who got the Panthers going in the first period, when he took a corner feed from Josef Stumpel and beat Brodeur from the bottom of the right circle for an even-strength tally at 14:48. Stumpel finished with two assists on the night.

John Madden centered a line of Jay Pandolfo and Clarkson, and was denied by Vokoun in a bid to break up the shutout in the game's final minute. Clarkson followed up Madden's attempt, but his shot drifted over the net.

Five stops remain on the Devils' season-long nine-game road trip, and they'll get another chance at victory when they take on the Atlanta Thrashers Saturday night (7:00 p.m., FSN NY, WFAN 660 AM). With a 6-0 loss in Buffalo on Thursday, the Thrashers now are the only team that has yet to register a point in the standings.

The Devils return home to open the all-new Prudential Center on Oct. 27 against the Ottawa Senators.

NJD Notes
Devils entered the contest 3 for 12 (25%) on the PP... Asham and Elias led New Jersey with four shots apiece... Elias skated on a line with Travis Zajac at center, and Gionta on the right wing... Zach Parise's point streak (1g-3a) was halted at three games. Parise skated on a line with Asham and Dainius Zubrus... Rod Pelley centered Sergei Brylin and Mike Rupp... Defensive pairings included Vitaly Vishnevski and Mike Mottau; Andy Greene and Karel Rachunek; and Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin.

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