Some say that success is the best revenge, and the Carolina Hurricanes took this mentality to the next level in tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
After the Canes fell to the Devils in game three – an embarrassing 8-4 – Carolina stepped up in game four, taking control of the series once again. Five different Canes players scored throughout the 60 minutes of play, while center Martin Necas got two goals past the Devil’s netminder.
New Jersey got on the board first, as Jack Hughs snuck one in the goal, but it wouldn’t be long until the trigger-happy Canes got back on track. Necas scored his first goal of the game with four minutes left in the period, giving himself and his teammates the spark they desperately needed on offense.
It was in the second period where the Canes put on a goal-scoring masterclass, with nine different players tallying a point within the period alone. Necas got his second goal of the game, which set in motion the Canes scoring four goals in five minutes.
Defenseman Brett Pesce scored next, bringing the score to an impressive 3-1, but that wasn’t enough for the revenge-hungry Carolina team. Right wing Jesper Fast was next on the scoresheet, followed quickly by defenseman Brent Burns. The final goal of the period, and eventually the game, came from veteran left wing Jordan Martinook, his third of the postseason. By the end of 40 minutes of play, the Canes seemed that their revenge would be set in a 6-1 victory.
The Hurricane’s offense wasn’t the only part of the game that was entertaining, as netminder Fredrik Andersen got another playoff start in goal. After being pulled within the second period of Sunday’s matinee game, Andersen put his A-game on for game four of the series. Stopping an impressive 21 of 22 shots on goal, the goalie finished the game with an impressive .955 save percent.
Even though they didn’t score during the game, centers Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis were integral to keeping the momentum on the Carolina bench and on the ice. By the end of the game, both players tallied over 20 minutes of ice time each.
With a solid 3-1 series lead, the Canes travel back to Raleigh to play within PNC Arena once again – possibly for the last time in the series. Game five is set for Thursday, May 11 with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
