The Carolina Hurricanes laid a 6-1 beatdown on the New Jersey Devils to take a commanding lead in the series. Backed by the “loudest house in the NHL” the Canes brought the energy and displayed one of their most dominant performances of the season.
12 different Canes players earned a point in their highest scoring game of the playoffs so far, showing that no matter what lines are out on the ice, the Hurricanes have someone who can light the lamp.
“It’s no secret we’re missing some fire power, so where are you going to find it? Right now we’re getting it up and down the lineup… everybody is doing their job right now and that’s why we are having success,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Although Carolina struggled to get anything going offensively at the start of the game, the Canes were able to generate some energy on the defensive end. New Jersey could not capitalize on the four minutes of power play to start the game, which was in part due to goaltender Frederik Andersen firmly shutting the door.
For his third straight playoff appearance, Andersen only allowed one goal and was phenomenal from beginning to end. After the Devils got hot early, Andersen answered the call and kept the Hurricanes from fighting out of a deficit. Stopping 28 of 29 shots, Fredzilla looked calm and collected in net and seemed to be 100% dialed in when the Canes needed him most.
“Freddie was there really all night, there was never really a time where he wasn’t having to make some saves. So that was a difference for sure,” Brind’Amour said.
After killing off two penalties – which included 23 seconds of 5-on-3 – the Hurricanes dominated puck possession, creating many chances that were inches away from being goals.
New Jersey was lucky to find the score tied going into the first intermission, but that was only short-lived as center Jesperi Kotkaniemi snuck in tight on the powerplay and fired one past Devils goalie Akira Schmid.
After having to wait over 20 minutes for the first goal it would only take two and a half minutes for both Kotkaniemi and the Canes’ second of the night. Following a scrum below the goal line, the Finn was able to locate and roof the puck just outside of the crease.
Up until this game, center Jordan Staal hadn’t managed to find twine in the 2023 playoffs but it was only a matter of time before the captain got on the board. Staal corralled a trailing puck and proceeded to go forehand-backhand to give the Canes a 3-0 lead.
To round up the four-goal period for Carolina, center Martin Necas notched his second of the playoffs in 4-on-4 play. With two fewer people on the ice, Necas was able to capitalize off his own rebound to put the Hurricanes up four in one of their most dominant and productive periods of the season.
In the second period, almost every shot the Canes put on net was high-danger and the scoresheet reflected that. After giving up four goals, Schmid was pulled for the second straight game and goaltender Vitek Vanecek took over.
In game one a change of netminder didn’t stop the Canes from piling it on, and this game was no different. After practically sealing the game in the second, Carolina recorded two more goals from right wing Stefan Noesen and left wing Jordan Martinook.
Including the two third period goals, the Canes constantly found themselves with odd-man rush opportunities to score and didn’t waste them. New Jersey has not been playing tight defense to start the series and the Hurricanes are making their opponent pay every time.
Carolina set the tone early when the team started laying the body, including two monster hits in quick succession from center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and right wing Jesper Fast. New Jersey Devils captain and center Nico Hischier was dazed and confused getting up as Caniacs came to a roar.
The physical forecheck the Canes have been trying to find for the past month is starting to make an appearance and the Devils have been caught off guard with how effective it is in leading to scoring chances.
“Right now 5-on-5 they are the better team… Got to win more battles, you gotta be more determined. We knew this was going to be a different series. Gotta give them a lot of credit, their battles were better than ours” said Jersey head coach Lindy Ruff.
The Hurricanes are finding their stride and playing their game after a brutal end to the season, and it is paying off. Playing on the road poses a different challenge for the Canes, who have only managed two wins on the road in the past three playoff series. If the Hurricanes can get an early goal and win the physical battles, they should have no problem fending off a feisty Devils team who has been counted out after two games not too long ago.
With just one day off set aside for travel, Carolina will travel to Newark for games three and four. Game three is set for Sunday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m.
