The Carolina Hurricanes pulled victory from the jaws of defeat with a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, April 23. The Canes netted two goals in the final five minutes to force overtime and later secure two crucial points in the Metro division title race.
A handful of key performers took the reins in the Carolina (51-20-8) comeback including goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, who made 17 saves in his NHL debut against New Jersey (27-43-8). After allowing a goal in the second period and early in the third, Kochetkov anchored down to make some big saves down the stretch and ultimately earn his first career win.
“It was great,” said defenseman Brady Skjei. “It’s obviously a big moment for him and his career and we wanted to play well in front of him. He did a great job; I think he made some huge saves for us. He looked very confident back there. It was a great start to his career and we’re really happy for him.”
On the other end of the ice, Jon Gillies had an impressive game of his own for New Jersey. Gillies and the Devils stonewalled the Canes for just over 55 minutes with some stellar saves, but couldn’t hold on for the full 60.
Carolina looked pedestrian in the offensive zone for much of the game, but Skjei initiated the comeback just in time. With 4:36 to go, Skjei threw a shot towards the net that deflected off a Devils defenseman and past Gillies.
From there, the Canes continued to ramp up the pressure by peppering more pucks on the New Jersey net. With 1:56 left in regulation, right wing Nino Niederreiter pounced on a rebound and punched it into the net for the equalizer.
Center Seth Jarvis completed the come-from-behind victory with his fourth game-winning goal of the season. New Jersey turned the puck over in its own zone, allowing defenseman Tony DeAngelo to find Jarvis, who deposited the puck just inside the post for the goal and the win.
“We always think we have a chance to win it, every game,” Jarvis said. “… When you’re down two with little time left it’s always tough, but to be able to come back like that I think says a lot about our team and about our group inside the locker room.”
With three games left until the playoffs, the Hurricanes will stay in the tri-state area as they head to New York to take on the Islanders on Sunday, April 24 before a critical showdown with the Rangers on Tuesday, April 26. With the Canes and the Rangers neck-and-neck in the race for the top spot in the Metro division, these last few games will be crucial for finalizing the playoff seeding.
“You come out at the start of the season and you say ‘we want to be the best,’ so that’s still the goal,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Puck drop between the Hurricanes and the Islanders is set for 1 p.m.
