RALEIGH, N.C. — Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 20 seconds into the sport and rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped the primary 35 pictures he confronted because the Carolina Hurricanes beat the struggling New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Tuesday evening in a matchup of Metropolitan Division leaders.
Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen additionally scored for the Hurricanes, who've a 12-game factors streak and moved into first place within the division, two factors forward of the Devils. Jaccob Slavin had two assists.
The Devils misplaced their sixth straight sport. A surprising downfall contemplating New Jersey misplaced solely 4 instances by means of the tip of November — a span of 23 video games.
Jack Hughes scored with 4:36 remaining because the Devils, who trailed 3-0 on the time, averted their first shutout of the season. Hughes leads New Jersey with 17 targets.
Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 10 of 13 pictures in two intervals earlier than being pulled in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood, who made six saves.
“It’s two factors,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour stated after his workforce improved to 7-1-0 in opposition to Metropolitan Division foes. “It’s not a standings time for me.”
Kochetkov made 37 saves total, together with a cease on Jesper Bratt’s breakaway within the remaining 30 seconds of the second interval.
“I really feel like they had been doing what they wished to do,” Brind’Amour stated. “We had been in a position to capitalize on a number of of their errors.”
The Hurricanes put three pictures on objective within the sport’s first 20 seconds. Kotkaniemi knocked in his personal rebound for his fourth objective and the quickest rating to start out a sport for Carolina since a objective 12 seconds right into a Feb. 16, 2020, sport in opposition to Edmonton.
“It’s good to get a pleasant begin there immediately,” Kotkaniemi stated.
Brind’Amour known as that the Hurricanes’ greatest shift of the sport.
“That’s a troublesome workforce to comprise, so it was at all times good to get the lead,” Staal stated.
That’s not the early tone the Devils wanted.
“Horrible play by us,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff stated. “We beat ourselves on the targets in opposition to.”
Staal’s objective got here at 4:17 of the second interval. He beat the Devils down the ice in transition on the left facet and drilled the puck previous Vanecek.
Simply over two minutes later, Teravainen scored a short-handed objective that gave the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead.
By way of two intervals, the Devils constructed a 27-13 benefit in pictures on objective.
The Devils had been 0-for-4 on energy performs, however Ruff described these as offering nice moments with out desired outcomes.
“It comes right down to execution,” he stated.
Kochetkov has performed in 9 of Carolina’s final 10 video games, with eight begins amongst these. His report is 10-1-4.
“It’s only a query of how a lot do you play him if you’re in that groove,” Brind’Amour stated. “You bought to be cognizant of the damage and tear.”
By going 8-0-2 in his final 10 video games, he’s tied for the longest factors streak by a goalie in franchise historical past.
Blackwood performed for the primary time since Nov. 3 after lacking time with a knee sprain.
“It feels good to be again,” he stated. “Clearly not splendid tonight.”
The Devils have two extra video games this week and Blackwood figures to be a part of the plan.
“(Good) to get him slightly really feel,” Ruff stated. “I appreciated what I noticed.”
The Devils made a goalie change for simply the second time previously month. … The Hurricanes have two short-handed targets this season. It was New Jersey’s second allowed short-handed objective.
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