The Canes eliminate the Devils, advance to Round Two
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils in double overtime to advance to the Eastern Conference Second Round. As in 2023, the Canes eliminated the Devils from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five games.
If you tuned out after the first period, that would not have been the expected result.
The first period looked like a Tuesday night in December rather than a home playoff game with a chance to eliminate the opponent.
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov was not settled in the net, allowing rebounds and making unnecessary movements.
The Carolina defense did not do him any favors, as New Jersey got behind the defenders and screened the shooting lanes.
The Devils scored just 3:46 into the game. Jesper Bratt was left unimpeded as he parked in front of Kochetkov. New Jersey crashed the crease, and the puck found the back of the net, floating over a sprawling Kochetkov.
Just two minutes later, Timo Meier scored from the high slot off a pass from Brett Pesce. Once again, Kochetkov was drifting, and a streaking Devil was perfectly timed to screen the Canes goalie.
The awful start continued with a Stefan Noesen goal at the halfway point of the period.
Andrei Svechnikov was the Hurricanes’ best player that period, tallying five of Carolina’s nine shots.
Carolina was down 3-0 after one, and captain Jordan Staal said it plainly during the intermission:
They came out at a playoff level and we did not and it looked like that.
Whatever happened in the locker room worked because the Canes came out on fire in the second.
Less than two minutes into the second stanza, Logan Stankoven’s one-timer snuck through Jacob Markstrom’s legs, and Taylor Hall punched it past the goal line.
The Canes kept pushing. Jackson Blake used the net as a pick and snapped one on the short side to beat Markstrom.
One of the best players on the ice all night equalized the score. Dmitry Orlov got the puck to Svechnikov in the high slot and fired a wrister that went under Markstrom’s arms.
Carolina climbed out of a three-goal deficit to tie the game, and did so on three shots on goal.
It was not a tied game for long, however. Nico Hischier was left all alone as he was streaking through the faceoff circle, sniping a wrister that beat Kochetkov blocker-side.
Sebastian Aho became a man-possessed halfway through the second and was dominant the rest of the evening.
Aho and the Canes took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game. Aho buried a one-time slap shot off a beautiful feed from Seth Jarvis.
All square at four each entering the third period.
For most of the third period, and essentially all of the overtime periods, it was Markstrom versus the Hurricanes.
The big Swede goalie kept the Devils in the game. Carolina outshot New Jersey 34-12 in the third and overtime periods, and Markstrom made several highlight reel goals to preserve the tie.
The first overtime was a masterclass in possession by the Hurricanes in what can only be described as one of the best periods a team can play without scoring a goal.
After failing to score in the first overtime, Canes fans were nervous as Carolina has lost seven straight multi-overtime games.
Aho would have none of it.
Aho had all five of the Hurricanes’ shots in the second overtime. Shot number 53 for the team was the game winner. In what seemed like one of the hardest shots ever seen by Aho, he took advantage of another Devils penalty to send them back to New Jersey.
Although not the easiest or most direct route, the Canes took care of business at home to advance to the second round.
Rod Brind’Amour became the first coach in NHL history to win at least one Stanley Cup Playoffs series in each of the first seven seasons as head coach.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who left the ice bleeding during the second overtime due to a high stick, returned for the postgame handshake line.
Three Stars of the Game
- Aho G: 2 | A: 1 | P: 3
- Jackson Blake G: 1 | A: 0 | P: 1
- Shayne Gostisbehere G: 0 | A: 2 | P: 2