The New Jersey Devils opened up the home-and-home series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 4-2 win on home ice Friday night.
Despite the Devils playing some of the best hockey we’ve seen in franchise history before the holiday break, the Canes found the back of the net first about halfway through the first. Carolina dominated the Devils through the first 10 minutes, as shots were 9-2 in favor of the Hurricanes.
The tide turned when Devils forward Ondrej Palat scored his seventh goal of the season. 42 seconds later the captain, Nico Hischier, added another one to put the Devils up 2-1 over the Hurricanes. The Devils ended the first period with the lead and successfully killed 1:45 of penalty time.
The second period started with the Devils on the penalty kill for 15 seconds. Just a few seconds after successfully killing the penalty, the Hurricanes netted their second goal to tie the game. Luke Hughes put the Devils up by one just a few minutes after, assisted by his defensive partner Brett Pesce. Pesce and Hughes have been lights out for the Devils. Dawson Mercer joined in on the fun and added one more of his own to extend the Devils lead to 4-2.
The offensive side of the game came to an end during the third period. The Devils had to play smart defensively to shut down one of the top teams in the NHL. The Devils held on to their lead and grabbed two points on home ice.
The Devils defencemen were very active tonight, as five out of six of the blueliners were on the scoresheet. Ironically, ex-Hurricane Dougie Hamilton was the lone defenceman left out.
Jacob Markstrom was lights out in net, making key saves. He ended the night with a save percentage of .935%. Despite not seeing much active in previous games, he did not miss a beat. Markstrom has won his last six starts in net for the Devils.
The Devils penalty kill was brilliant against one of the best power plays going in the league right now. They killed both penalties and even had some chances shorthanded. The Devils power play did not have a shot at going tonight as Carolina never drew a penalty, besides a roughing minor that cancelled out due to Pesce also getting a roughing.
The Devils grabbed a crucial two points against a team they will be battling for the top spot in the division. The Hurricanes have games at hand in comparison to the Devils, so the Devils need as many points as they can get when versing the Hurricanes to remain the top team in the Metropolitan division.
The Devils will finish the home-and-home series Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. ET.
