The Carolina Hurricanes secured the Metropolitan Division lead with a statement 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at PNC Arena.
Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov was, once again, Carolina’s star of the evening. The netminder saved 37 of 38 shots to earn the Hurricanes’ 20th win of the season.
Although Carolina came away with the win, some aspects of the game were lacking. The Hurricanes went 0-4 on the power play and only had 20 total shots on goal through 60 minutes, way below the team’s average of 34.
“We weren’t really good, and they were good,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “I give them a lot of credit. I feel like they were doing what they wanted to do — we were just able to capitalize on a few of their mistakes. Generally, we started great… but that was about our best shift of the game, honestly.”
Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi didn’t waste time, notching Carolina’s first goal a mere 20 seconds into the first frame after a small skirmish in the crease. Assisted by center Seth Jarvis, who played his 100th NHL game with the Hurricanes Tuesday evening, Kotkaniemi’s biscuit lit a fire behind a team eager to beat the Devils.
That being said, their good looks didn’t last for long — Carolina appeared a little sloppy on the passing front throughout the remainder of the first period, whiffing on easy shots and failing to connect. New Jersey outshot the Hurricanes 13-7 after the first 20, putting some pressure on Carolina to reciprocate.
Penalty play across the board was pretty abysmal in the first frame — the Hurricanes just couldn’t find their footing despite a one-man advantage — but Carolina’s penalty kill remained steady through the third period. Kochetkov looked better than ever, and it was mostly his tight goaltending that prevented New Jersey from capitalizing on a power play.
“Koochie was our best player by far,” said center Jordan Staal. “We had a couple of other key contributors, but not our best game for sure. They’re a good team, they’ve created a lot of offense and got us on our heels a little bit. We’d like to play a little better, but we had some big plays [from] Koochie and other guys to help us get through this one.”
Carolina’s offensive play rebounded mightily in the second frame for a comfortable 3-0 lead over the Devils. Staal and left wing Teuvo Teravainen scored back-to-back goals within two minutes, shortly after referees recalled center Martin Necas’ goal early in the second frame.
After scoring his first goal of the season this past Saturday against the Dallas Stars, Teravainen’s shorty marked the Hurricanes’ second shorthanded goal of the season. Staal’s goal marked his second in as many games, putting the captain on a hot streak heading into a tough couple weeks of competition.
New Jersey pulled goaltender Vitek Vanecek in favor of fellow netminder Mackenzie Blackwood at the top of the third period — an unsurprising move, since the Devils’ 27-13 lead in shots on goal didn’t quite reflect Carolina’s convincing 3-0 lead.
Kochetkov was denied his third shutout of the season by New Jersey center Jack Hughes, who leads the Devils in points, goals and assists. In response, right wing Stefan Noesen sealed the game less than two minutes later with an unassisted goal off of Blackwood’s back to raise Carolina’s advantage to 4-1.
Gameplay ended on a minor penalty on New Jersey defenseman Dougie Hamilton, a former Hurricane himself. Although Carolina ultimately wasn’t able to capitalize on its fourth and final power play of the night, its three-point advantage was all it needed to extend its winning streak to six games and top the Metropolitan division.
“I have always had confidence in the group,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s the old saying — let’s win the day, and that’s the way we have to approach [games].”
The Hurricanes will head to Pittsburgh for a day trip to play the Penguins for the second time this week. Puck drop is Thursday, Dec 22 at 7 p.m.
