The Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils are tied, 2-2, after two periods in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Prudential Center.
New Jersey led 1-0 after one period, and extended the lead to two with an early powerplay tally.
With Tomas Kopecky in the box for high-sticking, Travis Zajac held the puck near the goal line, to the left of Scott Clemmensen. The center fired a pass to Ilya Kovalchuk, who walked in all alone and one-timed the puck into an open net for his third goal of the series.
Zajac's assist was his third of the postseason.
Kris Versteeg cut the lead in half at the 7:05 mark of the second period. Versteeg took a pass from Stephen Weiss in the slot, and put a shot through the legs of Alexei Ponikarovsky. It beat Martin Brodeur stick-side for Versteeg's third goal of the series.
Sean Bergenheim tied the game, 2-2, with his third goal of the postseason at the 12:49 mark. The Panthers worked into the Devils zone with a 4-on-2 rush, and Tyler Strachan put a shot on Brodeur. He made the initial save, but the puck trickled to the left of Brodeur. Bergenheim, parked next to the post, put the loose puck in the back of the net to tie the game.
It's the fourth time the Devils have held a two-goal lead. They've won in two of those previous three games.
The Devils lead in shots, 29-10. Clemmensen has 27 saves through two periods, and Brodeur has just eight through two periods.