2023-24 Regular Season, Game 47: Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils (Postgame)

Less than 24 hours after beating the Boston Bruins in Beantown, the Hurricanes returned home for a tough divisional battle with the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have been off since Monday, bringing them into the game well-rested albeit short-handed, with several key players missing the game. Spencer Martin made 26 stops in his team debut last night, while Jordan Martinook's breakaway goal late in the third period helped the Canes prevent a collapse after blowing a 2-0 lead. With this being the first meeting since May, there was a good chance we'd see some fireworks between two teams with bad blood.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (1:30)- Sebastian Aho (18) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (13) & Jaccob Slavin (16))

2nd Period

CAR (2:54)- Teuvo Teravainen (16) PP (assisted by Michael Bunting (21))

CAR (3:19)- Jordan Staal (6) (assisted by Brady Skjei (20) & Seth Jarvis (21))

3rd Period

NJD (5:25)- Justin Dowling (1) (assisted by Alexander Holtz (11) & Chris Tierney (4))

NJD (19:57)- Jesper Bratt (18) (assisted by Luke Hughes (18))

My Thoughts

I doubted the Carolina Hurricanes' ability to win back-to-back games on back-to-back nights against the Bruins and Devils. I would've been satisfied if they had earned a split. Instead, they won both, and I'm not complaining in the slightest. I got a little worried when New Jersey scored early in the third period that we were going to see a repeat of last night in Boston, and they didn't do a good job of making me feel better with how they responded after allowing the goal, but they withstood the push to get the win. We might need the Mom's Trip to never end because they seem to bring the best out of the guys. 

While they won the game, I didn't love the Canes' start. Yes, Sebastian Aho scored 90 seconds in to put them ahead almost immediately, but they seemed flat after that. I didn't love their puck management for long stretches of the period, forcing Antti Raanta to make some stops. They eventually settled in and played a little better as the night progressed. They didn't allow the Devils to record a shot for over 17 minutes between the first and second periods. The Devils heavily outshot the Canes in the third period, 10-4, but Raanta stepped up and made sure to put the team on his back. It's not something we've seen much this season. The two goals he allowed in the third period were the result of good plays, so it's hard to be too critical, especially when looking at some of the stops he made with the game stuck at 3-1. 

Without Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton in the lineup, the Devils are missing some major firepower. However, there is still plenty of skill on the ice for New Jersey. Tonight, they were nowhere to be seen. Jesper Bratt scored with less than three seconds left to make it look like they played a better game than they did because they were quiet otherwise. Nico Hischier had three shots. Timo Meier's name might've been said a handful of times all night. Erik Haula, Tyler Toffoli, and Dawson Mercer had one shot each. Lindy Ruff might've put in the most effort, taking a puck to the face in the second period before missing the entire third. 

This is a testament to the Canes' defense because they were great tonight. Jaccob Slavin had another patented performance. The penalty kill also helped in that regard, holding the Devils to one shot across three power plays. They had as many shots short-handed as the Devils had with the man advantage. That's the story of the game. The Canes' back end and goalie dominated for 60 minutes, securing two more points. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jordan Staal- 1 goal

While we didn't know it at the time, the captain's goal served as the game-winner tonight. It had been 13 games since he found the back of the net, but tonight was a perfect night for Staal to buck that trend. His line had a great night overall, combining for that goal and preventing the Devils from generating many chances.

2nd Star- Antti Raanta- 23 saves

After a few tough starts over the last week, Raanta proved to be the difference in the game. While New Jersey was forced to use both of their goalies, the Canes' starter fought for 60 minutes to ensure the moms had something to celebrate at the end of the night. His performance in the third period, despite allowing two goals, was his best, making huge saves after the Devils got on the board. 

1st Star- Teuvo Teravainen- 1 goal, 1 assist

No skater was more important to the cause during this back-to-back than Teravainen was. He recorded multi-point nights in both wins, assisting on breakaways and scoring on the power play in each game. He's starting to refind his game with Svechnikov out, only adding to the bevy of weapons that will need to be game-changers as the Canes push to surpass the Rangers. 

Up Next- The Canes will play their final game before the break on Saturday night against the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes were routed 6-3 by the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight but are holding on for dear life in the Western Conference Wild Card picture.