SUNRISE, Fla. — If only games lasted 59 and a half minutes, the Devils would have swept this Florida trip.
Instead, for the second straight night, Martin Brodeur conceded a tying goal in the final seconds and the Devils went on to lose — this time 3-2 to the Panthers on Dmitry Kulikov’s goal at 1:43 of overtime.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to close these games, that’s the bottom line,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. “We’re leaving some points on the table. You hope it doesn’t come back to haunt you.”
Kulikov’s shot from the right circle beat Brodeur on the far side and was his first goal of the season.
Minutes before, with the Panthers net empty, Shawn Matthias’ second goal had tied the game at 2-2 with 27 seconds left in regulation. He grabbed a rebound in front of the crease and wristed it past Brodeur.
For the Devils, it was eerily reminiscent of Friday night’s heartbreak in Tampa, where Alex Killorn equalized with 15 seconds remaining and the Lightnight went on to win 5-4 in a shootout.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re not able to close out games,” Brodeur said. “Both times with less than 30 seconds and we can’t get it done, and after that we don’t win in overtime or the shootout. It’s disappointing, but we keep getting points and that’s the only thing positive about it.”
Steve Bernier scored two goals and Brodeur stopped 27 shots for the Devils, who have lost three straight.
Tied at 1, Bernier scored his second goal at 7:57 of the third on a power play. Henrik Tallinder took a shot from the high slot and Bernier deflected it into the net to give the Devils a 2-1 lead.
Bernier hadn’t scored a goal since March 2 at Buffalo and this was his first multi-goal game since Feb. 3 at the Islanders.