Sergei Bobrovsky was flawless, Sam Reinhart delivered the lone goal, and the Florida Panthers leaned on defense and goaltending to grind out a 1–0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Bobrovsky stopped all 31 shots he faced, securing his 51st career shutout — tying him for 28th in NHL history — and giving Florida its first 1–0 regulation win in the regular season since Dec. 23, 2017, against Ottawa. The Panthers did have a 1–0 overtime win last season in Columbus, but this was their first such regulation victory in nearly seven years.

Reinhart provided all the offense Florida needed with his 11th goal of the season, a slick individual effort in the opening period. He corralled a loose puck near the blue line, slipped past New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes, and fired a shot over Jake Allen’s shoulder to put the Panthers in front. Allen finished with 23 saves for the Devils, who were shut out for the first time this season.

Bobrovsky made the lead stand, including staving off a furious Devils push in the final minute as New Jersey tried desperately to salvage a point. Instead, the defeat marked the second time this season the Devils have dropped back-to-back games in regulation. They also suffered consecutive losses in Colorado and San Jose on Oct. 28 and 30, and fell 6–3 at Tampa Bay on Tuesday before Thursday’s setback.

Florida honored defenseman Jeff Petry prior to the game for reaching the 1,000-game milestone earlier this week. In a touching tribute, Petry’s four children took part in the ceremony wearing jerseys from each of his previous teams — Edmonton, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. The Panthers and the NHL presented the Petry family with commemorative gifts, and every Florida player took warmups wearing a No. 2 Petry jersey. Those sweaters will be auctioned to benefit charity.

The game also marked the NHL debut for Panthers rookie Jack Devine, a two-time national champion at the University of Denver. Devine was called up as Florida continues to navigate an injury-ravaged lineup, with seven regulars currently sidelined.

Despite the depleted roster, the Panthers tightened up defensively and relied on their veteran goaltender to close out the win.

Devils: At Philadelphia on Saturday night. Panthers: Host Edmonton on Saturday night in a rematch of the last two Stanley Cup Finals.