RALEIGH, N.C. — Logan Stankoven scored two second-period objectives on Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom in his first playoff recreation with Carolina and the Devs misplaced 4-1 to the Hurricanes to open their first-round sequence.
The Devils have been behind 3-0, and the Hurricanes greater than doubled the Devs’ shot output and saved the stress on in a robust begin to the postseason.
“Clearly it was fairly clear that I believe we have been trying ahead to this present day for a bit now,” goaltender Frederik Andersen stated.
Jalen Chatfield scored a first-period purpose for the Hurricanes, who saved regular stress on Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net clincher late within the third.
Carolina had misplaced seven of its final eight regular-season video games since clinching its seventh straight playoff journey on April 3, a number of coming with stars and key contributors out of the lineup. In that sense, it had been an extended wait to get right here, again on dwelling ice with a rowdy dwelling crowd in playoff mode.
“There’s all the time that fear that possibly you come out a little bit sluggish or no matter,” coach Rod Brind’Amour stated. “However clearly that wasn’t the case. And we have been wholesome, a wholesome group. So it was a calculated threat possibly, however a minimum of after Sport 1, that was the best choice.”
Andersen completed with 23 saves for Carolina, together with a key cease on Timo Meier close to the crease halfway by the third. The Hurricanes additionally turned away a Devils energy play with about eight minutes left to remain in agency management.
Nico Hischier obtained New Jersey’s solely purpose by taking Jesper Bratt’s cross-ice cross and blasting the puck previous Andersen throughout a 4-on-4 likelihood within the second.
Carolina completed with a 45-24 shot benefit.
“They’re not doing something particular,” Hischier stated. “They play easy hockey, onerous hockey, and we’ve simply obtained to match that.”
Markstrom completed with 41 saves on what turned out to be a tough afternoon bodily for the Devils, who had a number of gamers skating to the tunnel with accidents.
First defenseman Brenden Dillon went down within the second interval after getting tangled with Carolina’s William Service, then struggled to remain on his toes earlier than being helped to the tunnel. Coach Sheldon Keefe stated Dillon wished to return however docs held him out.
Later, the Devils misplaced two gamers on a single chaotic sequence within the third, which began with defenseman Luke Hughes laying within the internet then doubled over in ache whereas reaching for his left shoulder. Nearly instantly, Markstrom took a whack at Svechnikov close to the highest of the crease solely to inadvertently hit middle Cody Glass and knock him to the ice.
Whereas Hughes was capable of return, Glass was assisted to the tunnel and Keefe had no replace on Glass afterward.
Chatfield obtained the Hurricanes off to a fast begin with a purpose simply 2:24 into the sport. Then it was a giant day for Stankoven, who was the first return in a trade-deadline deal that allowed Carolina to pivot out of its big-swing January addition of scoring winger Mikko Rantanen.
Stankoven first zipped the puck previous Markstrom off a feed from Jordan Martinook, who had compelled Hischier right into a turnover alongside the boards, at 6:37 of the second. He struck once more on the facility play, with Stankoven blasting a shot previous Markstrom and off the within of the left put up for the 3-0 edge.
“I believed the second interval, we have been simply overwhelmed,” Keefe stated. “That was not ok. The third interval was good. The injury was achieved by then.”
Sport 2 of the sequence is Tuesday.
