"The Devil is in the Details": 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 2: Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils

We had to wait a few extra days, but the Carolina Hurricanes were back on the ice on Tuesday night at the Lenovo Center. After a stinging 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday to open the season, the Canes hoped to rebound against Stefan Noesen and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have been a dangerous team to begin the season, winning four of their first five contests, including a 3-0 shutout victory over Utah on Monday. With Jacob Markstrom backstopping them in Raleigh, the Canes had their work cut out for them against their first division opponent of the campaign. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

NJD (1:16)- Jack Hughes (1) (Jesper Bratt (4) & Jonathan Kovacevic (3))

CAR (10:55)- Seth Jarvis (1) (Andrei Svechnikov (1))

CAR (19:23)- Shayne Gostisbehere (1) (Martin Necas (1) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (1))

3rd Period

CAR (10:16)- Jackson Blake (1) Dmitry Orlov (1))

NJD (15:16)- Nico Hischier (3) PP (Jack Hughes (4) & Jesper Bratt (5))

CAR (18:24)- Sebastian Aho (1) EN (Jaccob Slavin (1) & Jordan Martinook (1))

My Thoughts

If you take just one thing from the Hurricanes' first win of the season, let it be this: Erik Haula is now 1-17 in Raleigh since being traded by the Hurricanes at the 2020 trade deadline. Is this point relevant to the game we just watched? Not at all, but, if you're a Canes fan, did you smile a little when you read it? I know I did when I read it. Frankly, tonight's win by the Hurricanes can be attributed to their ability to shut down some of New Jersey's hottest scorers, including Haula, Paul Cotter, and the returning Stefan Noesen. Sure, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt had a pair of points, though they were quiet in the grand scheme of the game. You could make an argument the second goal shouldn't have counted, though the Canes opted not to challenge Nico Hischier's power-play goal for goalie interference.

Tonight was all about the Hurricanes finally finding their game. Even when they were being stoned by Jacob Marksrom, they were generating the chances that weren't coming against the Lightning on Friday night. It came from the entire lineup, too. All four lines had at least one player record a point, as did each of the three defensive pairs. There were very few moments throughout the game when it felt like the Devils were outworking the Hurricanes. Most of the extended offensive zone-time sequences were in front of Markstrom. Once Seth Jarvis scored, it felt like everything else fell into place. 

When I talk about the Hurricanes outworking the Devils, look at how each of their goals on Markstrom happened. On Jarvis' goal, Andrei Svechnikov stripped Dougie Hamilton along the boards. On Shayne Gostisbehere's goal late in the second period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi won a battle against two Devils to start the play. On Jackson Blake's first NHL goal, Eric Robinson sealed the boards to force a turnover, leading to Dmitry Orlov's shot being deflected. All three goals were to the same place, beating Markstrom over his glove. Some were calling this game a "must-win" for the Canes after their Opening Night letdown and while I think that might be extreme, the Canes played like it was for 60 minutes, earning every bit of this victory. 

The final component of tonight's win was Pyotr Kochetkov. Making his season debut, the Russian netminder was great, outdueling Markstrom. He didn't have to pull out any of his big tricks to get the job done, remaining calm when the Devils pushed. It didn't seem like he was ready for Hughes' shot, being fooled by his decision to cut and shoot in the slot. Other than that, Kochetkov stood tall. The Hischer goal during the 5-on-3 likely should've been challenged, but I understand the decision not to, with the risk of allowing New Jersey another extended 5-on-3 sequence coming had the challenge failed. When called upon, Kochetkov got the job done, though the team in front of him didn't allow the Devils to generate much at 5-on-5.

When We Meet Again- Unlike last season, the Hurricanes and the Devils will play four times, with each game coming before New Year's. The next meeting will be in New Jersey the week before Thanksgiving before concluding their season series with a home-and-home back-to-back after Christmas.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Jackson Blake

Scoring your first NHL goal is more than enough to earn this honor. As great as that moment was, Blake had been playing a very good game to that point. He avoided a huge hit in the first period to spring Eric Robinson for a chance before nearly being on the receiving end of a pass seconds later. His first goal came after hard work on the forecheck on his part before perfectly redirecting Dmitry Orlov's shot. He was on the wrong side of a very bad tripping call, but it'll pale in comparison to the feeling of scoring his first NHL goal.

The Road Ahead- The return of the State Fair signals the first long road trip of the season for the Hurricanes. The first stop will be in Pittsburgh on Friday night before flying to St. Louis to face the Blues on Saturday. Visits to Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle, and Vancouver will await the team next week before their return back to Raleigh.