Connor Brown scores 2 goals as Devils beat Lightning 5-3 for 1st win

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Connor Brown scored twice, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier each had a goal and two an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 on Saturday night for their first win of the season.

Jesper Bratt also scored, and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk and Luke Hughes each had two assists for the Devils. Jacob Markstrom finished with 14 saves.

Darren Raddysh, Yanni Gourde and Ryan McDonagh scored for Tampa Bay, which has started 0-2 for the first time under coach Jon Cooper and the first time since 2008-09. Andrei Vasilevskiy had 22 saves.

Meier, Brown and Hischier scored 5:18 apart midway through the first period to put the Devils up 3-0. Gourde and McDonagh scored 10 minutes apart in the second to pull the Lightning within one.

With the Lightning on a power play early in the third, Bratt stepped in front of Nikita Kucherov's pass and raced up ice to convert a short-handed breakaway and give New Jersey a 4-2 lead at 4:48.

Brown got his second of the night 1:39 later for a three-goal lead.

Meier got things rolling for the Devils 8:30 into the game, jumping on a loose puck in the blue paint. Brown sccored off the rush at 10:17, deflecting a pass from Gritsyuk. Hischier banked a pass off the skate of Lightning defenseman Max Crozier with 7:12 to go for the 3-0 lead.

Gourde got the Lightning on the scoreboard at 7:31 of the second and McDonagh made it 3-2 with 2:37 remaining in the middle period.

Devils: at Columbus on Monday.

Lightning: at Boston on Monday.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/nhl