There’s a reason why the New Jersey Devils were willing to part ways with a first-round pick and a defenseman for goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom was touted as the missing piece for a talented team and so far he has lived up to the billing.
The Devils entered the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in first place of the Metropolitan Division — six points ahead of Carolina — and Markstrom has been a big reason why. He’s second in the league in goals against per game and wins. Markstrom continued that form in the Devils’ 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.
According to MoneyPuck, Markstrom saved four goals above expected, meaning the Hurricanes had plenty of quality chances but Markstrom was on top of his game. The former Calgary Flame has allowed just 14 goals in his last 10 games and is 12-2-1 in his last 15 starts.
But in the first period, it looked like the Hurricanes would be able to solve Markstrom after they scored the first goal of the game.
Halfway through the first, defenseman Brent Burns stopped the puck from passing the blue line to keep the forecheck alive and then unleashed an 85.5 mph slapshot that Markstrom stopped but couldn’t hold onto. Left wing Eric Robinson noticed the loose puck behind Markstrom and tucked it in for a 1-0 lead.
After controlling much of the play in the first, the Devils tied it up with a goal from left wing Ondrej Palat. Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic put a shot on net from just above the blue line and Palat who was screening goaltender Pyotr Kocketkov knocked the shot down and by Kocketkov to tie it at one.
Forty-two seconds later, New Jersey took the lead with a transition goal. From behind his own goal, defenseman Luke Hughes threaded a pass to left wing Stefan Noesen who passed it off to center Nico Hischier who then shot it over the left shoulder of Kocketkov for a 2-1 lead.
After dictating the pace of the play for most of the period, Carolina was trailing going into intermission. However, it didn’t take long for the Canes to retaliate. Only 22 seconds into the second period, the Hurricanes tied it.
As the Canes’ power play expired, Burns skated down the slot unmarked and center Jack Roslovic found him. After receiving the puck from Roslovic, Burns immediately ripped a shot toward the net and past Markstrom to make it 2-2.
Much like the first period, Carolina controlled the game, outshooting the Devils 14-10 in the period but it was New Jersey who capitalized on its opportunities. Just under four minutes after Burns’s goal, Hughes buried a goal off a deflection that landed right on his stick to give the Devils a 3-2 lead.
New Jersey then doubled its lead off a shot Kocketkov couldn’t control. Center Jack Hughes ripped a shot from the left faceoff circle that Kocketkov stopped with his pad. Before Kocketkov could cover the puck, center Dawson Mercer collected the loose puck and put it in the back of the net for a 4-2 lead.
From there, the Devils sat back and allowed their goalie to put on a show. New Jersey only put 11 more shots on goal after Mercer’s goal but it didn’t matter as Markstrom stopped every Hurricanes shot that came his way.
While the Hurricanes ran into a hot goalie, Carolina’s play of late has been trending in the wrong direction.
Since Thanksgiving, the Hurricanes are 5-8 and are scoring just 2.5 goals per game while allowing 3.2 goals per game. Before Thanksgiving, the Canes were 16-5-1, scoring four goals per game and allowing just 2.5. During this stretch center Martin Necas has only scored seven points after putting up 37 points before.
Up next, the Hurricanes will get a rematch against the Devils on Saturday at Lenovo Center but will most likely not have to face Markstrom. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
