EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- With just nine regular season games remaining, the New Jersey Devils realize it's time to start playing with a sense of urgency.

Petr Sykora scored twice, and Patrik Elias had a goal and two assists in the Devils' 5-2 victory over the Panthers on Sunday night.

Scott Stevens and Bobby Holik also scored for the Devils, who won for the first time in three games.

"We played pretty solid for most of the game," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said. "We played with drive and intensity. It's important with nine games to go that we get our game going again and hold onto our first spot."

Pavel Bure scored his league-leading 51st goal and Mike Sillinger added a goal for Florida, 3-7-1 in its last 11.

The closing minutes turned ugly when New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer hit Florida's Peter Worrell in the head with his stick, starting a brawl with 1:45 remaining. Three players from each team were sent off the ice, including Niedermayer and Worrell, who were assessed game misconducts.

"Anyone who has played the game of hockey knew that was going to happen," said Devils coach Robbie Ftorek after Worrell, Paul Laus and Todd Simpson were sent off for Florida, along with the Devils' Niedermayer, Holik and Randy McKay. "I know there will be repercussions."

Niedermayer admitted he was wrong.

"It was a time I felt I had to take things in my own hands," the Devils defenseman said. "I had been elbowed in the head by him on the first play and it continued through the whole game. He's 6-foot-6 and I'm barely 6-foot, but I realize it wasn't the right thing to do."

Panthers captain Scott Mellanby lamented how the game has changed.

"I didn't see it, but I heard it was pretty bad," Mellanby said. "I don't understand it. It used to be guys defended themselves with honor. Niedermayer is a world-class player. If he wanted a piece of Peter, he could have had it."

The Devils trailed 2-1 after the first period, but tied it 2-2 at 5:46 of the second. After Florida was unable to clear the puck, Stevens took a pass from Alexander Mogilny and shot it past Trevor Kidd from the left circle. The assist was Mogilny's first point since joining the Devils on March 15.

New Jersey took a 3-2 lead at 15:48 on a power play when Elias worked a give-and-go with Holik, flicking a shot past Kidd. Holik scored at 17:21 to make it 4-2.

Sykora got his second goal of the game at 5:38 of the third for the Devils, 5-10-1 in their last 16.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on the power play when Bure whistled a pass from just inside the blue line past the stick side of Brodeur at 17:11 of the first.

The Devils tied it just 2:02 later when Sykora scored his 20th with a shot high into the corner of the net.

Florida wasted little time going ahead again when Mike Sillinger gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead with 12 seconds left in the first. He deflected a shot by Mike Wilson just four seconds after Devils' defenseman Ken Daneyko was sent off the ice for a double minor.