RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Carolina Hurricanes came back from an early deficit to take Game 2 of the first round of the NHL playoffs against the New Jersey Devils by a score of 3-1 Tuesday night in Raleigh.
The Devils’ Jesper Bratt scored in the first period, but goals by Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook in the second gave the Canes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Seth Jarvis scored an insurance goal on an empty net with less than a minute left in the game at the Lenovo Center, resulting in the home crowd getting even more raucous..
Goalie Frederik Andersen had 25 saves for the home team. Martinook also recorded an assist, as did Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake and Dmitry Orlov.
Jacob Markstrom also finished with 25 saves on the night for New Jersey. Assists for the Devils’ lone goal came from Erik Haula and Dougie Hamilton.
Carolina now has a 2-0 lead in the series as it makes its way up north. The Canes and the Devils are scheduled to play Game 3 Friday night at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The Hurricanes had dominated the series opener in Sunday’s 4-1 win, leaving coach Sheldon Keefe and his players lamenting the Devils’ inability to match Carolina’s relentless edge in what captain Nico Hischier described as “simple hockey, hard hockey.”
It didn’t help, too, that New Jersey was down defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon from Game 1 injuries. But the Devils got the determined effort they needed to stay in this one, starting when they pinned Carolina in its own end early to set up Bratt’s clean-up of a rebound for the game’s first score at 3:51 of the game.
It also included former Hurricane Brett Pesce personally saving two goals for the Devils on loose pucks against Markstrom, including one coming seconds after Gostisbehere pounced on his own rebound to beat Markstrom. On that one, Pesce knocked a puck out as it laid on the goal line — but not fully across it — behind Markstrom.
He also cleaned up one on Taylor Hall’s near score on a push under Markstrom in traffic.
But ultimately, Carolina did enough to keep pressure on. The winner fittingly went to the veteran Martinook on a strong attacking night, coming moments after the Devils were lined up for a faceoff to start a power play.
Orlov collected the loose puck and sent a transition pace to spring Martinook, who blasted a shot past Markstrom at the 5:54 mark of the second to put Carolina ahead for good.