Regular Season, Game 79: Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

We've hit the final four games of the season and today is a particularly exciting one with the news that came out today. As the Canes head to New Jersey for the first game of a back-to-back, Rod Brind'Amour confirmed that top goalie prospect Pyotr Kochetkov will be making his NHL debut. He'll be the second goalie to make his first start against the Devils this season. The Canes were last in New Jersey on January 22 and Jack LaFontaine made his first start that night. Things didn't go well for the rookie. Andrei Svechnikov and Ian Cole scored in the first six minutes of the game to give the Canes a 2-0 lead, but Nathan Bastian scored twice in the final 2:34 of the period to tie it at 2-2 heading into the first intermission. The second period was a goal-fest. Josh Leivo scored his first as a Hurricane, but the Devils scored three of the next four goals before the end of the period, Brady Skjei scoring the Canes' other goal, to take a 5-4 lead into the third. A power play goal from Jack Hughes and a dagger from Pavel Zacha put it away as the Canes dropped the game 7-4. They'd get a measure of revenge a week later in Raleigh with all three goals scored in the first period, Jordan Martinook and Svechnikov for the Canes, as they'd win 2-1 behind a spectacular performance from Antti Raanta. 

Thursday night's game with Winnipeg didn't start the way the Canes wanted. Kyle Connor scored on a 4-on-4 and Pierre-Luc Dubois added another before the end of the period to give the Jets a 2-0 lead. Eric Comrie was stopping everything in sight, but Teuvo Teravainen managed to get one with just under 30 seconds left in the second period on the power play to cut the deficit to just one with 20 minutes left. The Canes came out and dominated the third period, getting early goals from Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis before Jordan Staal found the empty net to secure a 4-2 win for the Canes and ensure they'd remain tied with the Rangers atop the division standings. As mentioned earlier, the big news comes in the net with Kochetkov getting the start, meaning Raanta will likely go tomorrow. No other changes were made to the lineup. 

Injury problems have been a huge deal for the Devils so far in April and they'll be without some big names for today's game. Jack Hughes, Miles Wood, and Jonas Siegenthaler have all been out since early April and are done for the year, meaning we won't see them in today's game of the season finale on Thursday. The Devils are just 3-5-2 in April, losing three of their last four games. Their last outing was a 5-2 loss to the Sabres Thursday night. The Sabres scored twice short-handed to open the scoring and Rasmus Dahlin added a third goal before Jesper Boqvist scored to make it 3-1 going into the third period. Nikita Okhotyuk, making his NHL debut, scored his first NHL goal to open the third period and cut the game to 3-2, but Owen Power responded with his own first NHL goal before Jeff Skinner iced it. Andrew Hammond allowed all five goals in the loss. It's crazy to believe, but Dougie Hamilton will be playing in his first game against the Canes after signing with New Jersey in the offseason. He was hurt for both prior games, so this could be a classic revenge game for him. Jon Gillies will start for the third time against the Canes this season. The Canes need to earn these two points with the Rangers heading into Boston this afternoon. They've clinched home-ice for the first round already, but now they need to secure it for the second round should they make it that far. They've had a problem with playing down to teams lately. Let's hope they buck that trend today. 

1st Period

Scoring

None

Thoughts

Outside of the one very bad play at the end of the Devils' power play that almost resulted in the opening goal, that was a good first period from Pyotr Kochetkov. He looked decently comfortable and the defense did everything in their power to make life easy for him. It was much better than how they plated in front of LaFontaine in his first start. The Canes had nine shots in the period. Seven of those nine shots were from the defense, led by three from Brady Skjei, and the first three of the game were from Brendan Smith. The defense has been playing up quite a bit. Jaccob Slavin has made some great plays defensively, including breaking up a 3-on-1 from Hamilton and co. This needs to be a defensive effort similar to that how it was in front of David Ayres. Obviously, Kochetkov is a lot more skilled, but they need to go all out to make sure he isn't facing many high danger chances. They need to do this while finding an offensive balance and start scoring some goals. 

2nd Period

Scoring

(NJD) 15:43- Yegor Sharangovich (23) PP (assisted by Jesper Boqvist (12) & Damon Severson (33))

Thoughts

The Devils finally found the board on the power play on a shot that was apparently deflected by Sherangovich while he was screening Kochetkov. Not much the rookie goalie could do with that one. The Canes had some good chances, especially after the Devils scored, but Gillies made all the stops, including one huge save on Slavin after he outwaited the defense. It didn't feel like either team did a whole lot outside of those brief moments late in the period. Svechnikov hit a post on an earlier power play attempt. They held New Jersey to five shots in the period, but they managed to get one, so it's time to dig in and find a way to score in the third. 

3rd Period

Scoring

(NJD) 8:30- Nico Hischier (21) (assisted by Yegor Sharangovich (22) & Nikita Okhotyuk (1))

(CAR) 15:24- Brady Skjei (9) (unassisted)

(CAR) 18:04- Nino Niederreiter (24) (assisted by Jesper Fast (20) & Tony DeAngelo (40))

Thoughts

Things looked to be a lost cause late in this one after the offense went shotless through a long stretch of the period. Hischier rips one past Kochetkov on the glove side off the post to give the Devils a 2-0 lead and it felt like things were over. Kochetkov made a huge breakaway stop on Boqvist right after they made it 2-0 to keep it that way, but the offense wasn't getting it done. The difference in this one was a bounce off the knee of a defenseman that got Brady Skjei and the Canes on the board to break the shutout. They pulled Kochetkov with 2:00 left and almost immediately after, Niddereiter buried a rebound to tie it up and help the Canes earn a point this afternoon. What looked to be a bad loss has turned into at least one point. 

Overtime

Scoring

(CAR) 1:39- Seth Jarvis (16) (assisted by Tony DeAngelo (41))

Thoughts

The Devils controlled the early part of the extra session, but the difference was a forecheck from Sebastian Aho that led to a turnover in the offensive zone. The pass went straight to Tony DeAngelo as he walked in for a 3-on-1. He opted to pass, found Seth Jarvis, and the rookie sniped it past Gillies to get the second point this afternoon. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Tony DeAngelo (2 Assists)

The Canes' broadcast talked about the comparison between DeAngelo and Hamilton since DeAngelo was brought in to fill a similar role. I think Hamilton had a much better game overall, but DeAngelo came up with two huge assists to spark the comeback. He got the shot through that was eventually put home by Niederreiter, then set up Jarvis for the overtime winner. 

Second Star- Jaccob Slavin (27:02 TOI)

He played more than any non-goalie on the ice today and his defensive plays look so much more important now that we know the result. He finished with three blocks, two hits, and four shots, but the play I'm going to remember the most was his breakup of a 3-on-1 led by Hamilton early in the game. An early goal could've stopped all of this from happening. He's simply spectacular and it's a pleasure to watch him play. 

First Star- Pyotr Kochetkov (17 Saves on 19 Shots)

It's one thing to play your first NHL game, but it's another to play it without getting much help from the offense for almost the entire game. There's nothing he could really do about either goal, but it was the save on Boqvist after the Devils made it 2-0 that really was the game-saver. If the game goes 3-0, the Canes lose. The Winter Solider had ice in his veins late and I'm happy to see this team get the win for him. 

Final Thoughts

If the Canes go on to win the division, this is going to be one we look back on fondly. This game was a lost cause with five minutes left. The Canes had gone cold and the offense wasn't generating anything. I had already written my thoughts about the third period before Skjei scored. I then had to delete what I'd originally written once Niederreiter scored. They found a way to win this game despite not playing well in the third. It's fitting that Seth Jarvis finished this one in overtime to help get the rookie his first win in his first start. I loved seeing Kochetkov get into the hug between Slavin and Trocheck at the bench. You could tell this meant a lot to him. There was some history made today by Tony DeAngelo. He broke the team's single-season assist and points records by a defenseman with his 41st assist, passing Joni Pitkanen (40), and his 51st point, passing Justin Faulk (49). His defense might be mediocre, but his offense continues to be strong. The Canes did play down to the Devils today, but they played like a playoff team late and that earned them the win today. As I said earlier, I'd expect Raanta to play against the Islanders tomorrow for the second half of the back-to-back. We'll still be the top team in the division tomorrow. It'd be cool if the Bruins could help us out and beat the Rangers in regulation today.