The Carolina Hurricanes did it again.
With their 5–2 win on Saturday, the Hurricanes completed a season series sweep against their Metropolitan Division rival, the New Jersey Devils. The last time they did so was during the 2023–24 season, although the series then consisted of only three games.
During the first period of play, things were close between the Hurricanes and Devils in terms of pressure and possession, but thanks to old-fashioned ‘fly the zone’ tactics a goal from Timo Meyer in the final minutes of the frame gave the Devils the lead.
This was a strategy they continued to implement throughout the game, making things difficult for the Hurricanes.
But, Carolina proved that rest is also a weapon once the rust is cleared, as they rebounded in the second frame – scoring not just one, but three goals throughout the period.
Nikolaj Ehlers was the first to score on the power play, followed by Jackson Blake on a goal in the slot, followed immediately by Jordan Staal’s great tip-in on a shot from Ehlers.
It was a great frame by Carolina offensively and defensively, as they limited the Devils to just five shots.
last twenty minutes
As they entered the third frame, with the game up 3–1, the Hurricanes continued to press forward offensively. Shayne Gostisbehere, who was in his first game back after missing nine consecutive games due to a lower body injury, scored the fourth goal for Carolina. However, less than 30 seconds later, he was given a rare charging penalty after a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Evgeni Dadonov, who had the puck at the time of his commitment to the hit.
Nevertheless, Seth Jarvis found the back of an empty net during the penalty kill and scored his 30th goal of the season for the third consecutive season, becoming only the sixth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
Still, the Devils made do with what they had, and Dadonov managed to score a goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game – his first of the season.
Onward to the next game
As the game ended, Ehlers was given his first star of the game and he went to the bench for a quick interview with reporter Hannah Yates, discussing the game and goals, before capping it off with a simple statement:
“We have to go get some revenge tomorrow.”
The Montreal Canadiens, to whom he was referring, will be their next opponent after a 5-2 loss to them on Tuesday.
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