"Once, Twice, Three Times the Andrei": 2025 Postseason, Round 1, Game 4 (CAR leads 2-1): Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

It was a valiant effort from the team to force overtime in Game 3, but the Carolina Hurricanes failed to grab a stranglehold on the series with a 2OT loss to the Devils on Friday night. The power play struck twice in the third period to gain traction, which is about the only good thing for the team, outside of Frederik Andersen's performance. The Devils dominated for over 22 minutes of overtime, eventually winning early in the fifth period. With another chance for their third win, the Canes hoped to capitalize on another injury to New Jersey's defense.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (0:52)- Andrei Svechnikov (2) (Brent Burns (1) & Jackson Blake (2))

CAR (9:47)- Jaccob Slavin (1) (unassisted)

2nd Period

CAR (0:42)- Andrei Svechnikov (3) PP (Seth Jarvis (2) & Sebastian Aho (3))

NJD (2:45)- Nico Hischier (3) (Ondrej Palat (2) & Timo Meier (2))

NJD (7:34)- Timo Meier (1) (unassisted)

3rd Period

CAR (14:14)- Brent Burns (1) (unassisted)

CAR (16:43)- Andrei Svechnikov (4) EN (Jackson Blake (3) & Sebastian Aho (4))

My Thoughts

Judged solely on the first 21 minutes and last five minutes, the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the New Jersey Devils in their barn. Within the first minute of the second period, the Hurricanes had a 3-0 lead and a stranglehold on the game. However, the Devils refused to go down without a fight. For the next 36 minutes, they pushed with all their might. To their credit, they got within a goal. Then, Brent Burns got a bounce after Jacob Markstrom turned the puck over and couldn't catch a shot cleanly. When the Canes made it 4-2, it felt like the game was over. Maybe they were a little lucky to hold on, but I think they wholly deserved it more than New Jersey did.

One guy the Canes needed to get going during these road games was Andrei Svechnikov. I don't think it gets much better than scoring a hat trick. For the second time in his career, Svechnikov lit the lamp three times in a playoff game. His first goal set the tone less than a minute into the game. It was a spinning wrister from just beyond the dots that Markstrom never saw through the traffic. Then, he scored in the opening minute of the second period on the power play. The pass broke his stick, but he was solid enough on it to get it over the line, scoring the power play's fourth goal of the series. To finish it, his linemates helped him out, setting him up with the net empty to finish it in style. Playing on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake, they provided almost all of the offense. Blake and Aho had two assists each, Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Jaccob Slavin scored one of the most incredible goals I've ever seen. 

The Canes won the game, but they lost a valuable piece of the puzzle early in the second period. I won't argue the semantics of the play because my opinion doesn't matter. After New Jersey made it 3-1, Timo Meier crashed toward the net and tried to fight off Svechnikov for position. I don't think it was intentional, but Meier's hip makes contact with Frederik Andersen's head, leaving Andersen down inside the net. Pyotr Kochetkov, who hasn't played since the penultimate game in Montreal, was thrown into the action. Meier scored the next goal with an ugly shot from the boards that Kochetkov should've stopped, which only added insult to injury. From there, Kochetkov was good. The defense did a good job of limiting New Jersey's dangerous chances in the third period, but Kochetkov withstood an onslaught during the second. He finished 14/15 in the game and will likely be called upon to close the series in Raleigh on Tuesday.

The Devils did an excellent job on Friday night to make sure the series returned to Raleigh for a fifth game. Now, the Canes have a chance to finish the game on home ice. We'll likely see a desperation level from the Devils that we haven't seen in this series. The Devils played their best game in 2023 in Game 5 with their backs against the wall. Of course, the Canes won that game in overtime to win the series. New Jersey's defense has been hit with a ton of injuries. They played on Sunday without three of their regulars. The fourth game is the toughest game to win. The Canes have positioned themselves to have three chances to get #4. The last thing we want is for the series to return to Newark on Friday.

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Andrei Svechnikov

After a purely physical start to the series in Raleigh, Andrei Svechnikov found a way to find a balance in Newark during Games 3 and 4. After a power-play assist in Game 3, Svechnikov extended his franchise record for postseason hat tricks with his second. He remains the only player in franchise history to light the lamp three times in a playoff game. Along with his three goals, Svechnikov had five hits, trailing Eric Robinson's and Jordan Martinook's 6. His ongoing battle with Jacob Markstrom has been a big part of the series, but I'd argue Svechnikov has won more battles than he's lost against New Jersey's goalie.