Bouncing back from their shaky performance in Game 3, the Carolina Hurricanes took down the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 and head back to Raleigh with a 3-1 series lead.
The Canes showed up ready to play and tallied a goal within the first minute of both the first and second periods. After securing their first goal, the Canes led the rest of the way, winning 5-2. At the helm, right-wing Andrei Svechnikov recorded his second career playoff hat trick. He is the only player in Whalers/Hurricanes history to record a postseason hat trick.
The game-winning goal came just 42 seconds into the second period from Svechnikov on the power play. Center Sebastian Aho sent a pass into the stick of center Seth Jarvis, who controlled it and sent it just left of the net, where Svechnikov was waiting to tip it into the back of his net. His stick broke but the puck still found nylon.
The Canes continued to hold the Devils against the flame as they have all series, with the Devils being the only team in the playoffs who don’t have a power play goal.
The first goal of the game was awarded to Svechnikov 52 seconds into the first period. A quick save and release from goaltender Frederick Andersen led to a counterattack into the opposing zone. Right-wing Jackson Blake let a quick shot off, which bounced off the Devil’s defense into defenseman Brent Burns’ possession. Burns laid it off for Svechnikov, who wasted no time hammering it into the back of the net.
About nine minutes later, defenseman Jaccob Slavin, putting pressure on the Devils, knocked the puck out of the air from an attempted clear and skated the puck down to the goal line, flicking it above the shoulder of goaltender Jacob Markstrom into the top netting, doubling the lead for the Canes.
In response to Svechnikov’s second goal, the Devils got themselves on the board just two minutes later. Right-wing Timo Meier received the puck at the halfway mark, skated the puck deep into their offensive zone, and sent it back directly in front of the net where center Nico Hischier was waiting to snap it past Andersen.
Both teams put up a fight and put their bodies on the line, doing whatever they could to escape with a win. Off a Devils rush in the second period, Meier was flying in when he was bumped by Svechnikov and lost his footing. He went crashing into Andersen, sending the netminder into the back of the net. Andersen, slow to get up, was not well enough to resume play and went back to the locker room. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov geared up and took his teammate’s spot between the posts.
With Andersen leading the playoffs in goals against average with 1.59, Kochetkov had some big shoes to fill. Still a little cold, he let one get past him just minutes after he came in. Off a face-off, Meier took possession of the puck at the far left wall, turned and slung the puck under the pads of Kochetkov, reducing the Canes’ lead to one.
Late in the third period, defensemen Brent Burns sat in the top left corner, waiting for the puck to come loose. Once he spotted his chance, he wasted no time getting to the puck and firing it towards the net, getting an awkward bounce through the 5-hole of Markstrom. The Canes, now sitting at a two-goal lead with a little over five minutes left in the game, didn’t let up.
Noticing when Markstrom went to the bench, the Canes attacked and capitalized on a misplay from the Devils. Blake scooped up the puck and sent it to Svechnikov, who didn’t have to do much except put it on target into the empty net. This was the goal needed for Svechnikov to pass head coach Rod Brind’Amour for all-time playoff goals in Hurricanes history.
The Hurricanes return to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
