2023-24 Regular Season, Game 51: Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils (Postgame)

The Hurricanes turned back the clock on Saturday night as the organization celebrated its roots. The team got back into the win column on Thursday behind Martin Necas' natural hat trick in the first period as the Canes won 5-2 over the Colorado Avalanche. Tonight, they sported their white Whalers jerseys as they welcomed the New Jersey Devils to town. The Devils saw Jack Hughes return to action in their loss on Thursday to the Flames. The Canes will get a little bit of that with Andrei Svechnikov returning after missing the last six games.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

None

3rd Period

None

Overtime

CAR (3:40)- Sebastian Aho (19) (assisted by Martin Necas (19) & Jaccob Slavin (18))

My Thoughts

As we all guessed we'd see before the game, Pyotr Kochetkov and Vitek Vanecek provided one of the best goalie battles of the season. We were 80 seconds away from both goalies earning a shutout if not for a timely bunt from Sebastian Aho in overtime. The Canes and Devils combined for 66 shots. Yet, only one found its way into the net. I wouldn't say either had to make any Sportscenter Top 10 saves in the game, but there was some incredibly timely goaltending all night. Kochetkov faced an onslaught from the Devils' stars. Vanecek stopped the best chance of the night on Jordan Martinook's breakaway chance in the third period. For as much as Vanecek has struggled to stop the puck this season, the one time he does stand on his head, his offense goes dry. That's how it goes sometimes. 

Let's not get it twisted. The Hurricanes didn't play a great game. They were awful with the puck for most of the night. They were getting thoroughly outplayed by the Devils after 30 minutes. The Devils looked faster and crisper at times. It might've been because New Jersey was more desperate. Martin Necas noted that he didn't love the ice conditions tonight, but that doesn't excuse some of the truly baffling passes the team made. There were three times tonight when I just wrote, "Brent Burns turns it over," after he gave the puck away. Fortunately, Kochetkov was there to bail him out. He was far from the only culprit. The Canes weren't strong on the puck. Tonight, it didn't haunt them, but I wouldn't get used to that. 

The penalty kill deserves its flowers for its performance tonight. The Devils own one of the league's best power plays, and they showcased why. However, the Canes' penalty kill is pretty good, too. The Devils' second power play in the first period was one that nearly ended with a goal. It likely would've if the puck hadn't bounced over Toffoli's stick at the side of the net. This was as frantic as the Canes looked on the kill all night. They piggybacked off their perfect performance against the Avalanche by going 4-for-4 tonight. The Canes' power play didn't get much work, only coming on the ice twice and yielding no results. 

Andrei Svechnikov's return wasn't a flashy one. He had a great chance on the Canes' first power play, being denied by Vanecek's pad. He finished with two shots and a team-high four hits, but it was a pretty unspectacular contest for him. I thought Michael Bunting had a solid night, especially early. The third pair of Jalen Chatfield and Tony DeAngelo had a strong game. Dmitry Orlov stepped up again. By the end of the night, they were only running three lines, with the Kotkaniemi line's time being reduced, though they combined for seven hits. At the end of the day, your stars need to shine in big moments. Few are better at 3-on-3 than Aho and Necas. They combined to get the job done in overtime, allowing us to hear the sweet sounds of "Brass Bonanza" to end the night. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Dmitry Orlov- 2 shots, 3 hits, 20:43 TOI

There are other defensemen who deserve to be here after their games tonight, but I'm showing Orlov some love for stepping his game up in Pesce's absence. He's been doing a great job on the penalty kill, and he's spent the last two games playing his off-side. It's the first time in months he's played more than 20 minutes, showing how much faith the coaching staff has in him to play alongside Skjei. 

2nd Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal

Big-time players come to play in big moments. On a night as special as this one was, Aho played a solid game. It doesn't hurt that he scored the only goal of the game in overtime, too. He has points in all three games since returning from the All-Star Game. Tonight, he did it by showcasing his excellent hand-eye coordination and knocking the rebound out of mid-air to send the fans home happy. 

1st Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 34 saves

The goal he allowed to Girard in the first period on Thursday is arguably the lowest point in his brief NHL career. He flushed it by stopping ten shots in the third period before putting in over 60 minutes of perfect hockey tonight. None of his saves are going to dazzle the casual fan, but his timeliness was critical to the team's win. It's nice to see him enjoying the game, even if he didn't want to be mobbed by his teammates during the Storm Surge. 

Up Next- For the final time this season, the Hurricanes are going to be out West for a long road trip. Their next stop will be in Dallas for their first meeting with the Stars this season. Dallas sits atop the Central Division at the moment. They'll have a few days between games before finishing with a back-to-back in Arizona and Vegas next weekend.