Antti Raanta made 24 saves in his first game in nearly a month, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov scored in the first period to help the Hurricanes secure their third consecutive win and sixth in their last seven games.
Raanta, who had been sidelined since Jan. 1 with an upper-body injury, played his first full game since Dec. 30. During his absence, three other goalies started for Carolina.
“It has been a lot of hard work,” Raanta said of his rehab. “Obviously, it’s nice to get rewarded.”
His teammates were appreciative of his efforts.
“I told him after the game, ‘That’s the Rants I’ve seen steal lots of games,’” said Martinook, who was previously Raanta’s teammate with the Arizona Coyotes. “That was vintage Rants right there. He’s had some injuries, and he’s getting back to it.”
Jesper Boqvist scored for the Devils, who’ve lost seven of their last eight games. Jon Gillies made 21 saves for New Jersey.
Raanta, in his first season with the Hurricanes, had been preparing all week for the possibility of starting against the Devils.
“You start to learn how to play behind this team,” Raanta said. “You’re earning the trust. Making those saves feels good.”
Raanta made a crucial stop on Nathan Bastian’s short-handed breakaway in the final seconds of the second period.
“Key saves at really big times,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t at our best. Their team was really coming at us for a while.”
The Devils managed only three shots on goal in the third period.
“That’s how you have to play with the lead,” Brind’Amour said. “The first couple of periods weren’t great, but give the guys credit because they stepped up when the game was on the line.”
By then, frustration was likely building for the Devils.
“I thought we did better than hanging in there,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on key offensive opportunities. We probably played as well defensively as we have. Carolina is tough to outskate, and for the first 40 minutes, I thought we outskated them. We just didn’t outscore them.”
Five of New Jersey’s last seven losses have been by one goal.
“It’s not fun to lose these tight games,” Boqvist said.
Martinook, who has been out for most of the past eight weeks, scored for the first time since the season opener. His goal came on a backhand shot at 8:02 of the first after Seth Jarvis set him up from behind the net.
Martinook had missed the past four games, initially due to injury and then due to COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s one thing after another for him,” Brind’Amour said. It’s nice to see him contribute.”
Svechnikov added a goal with 5:38 left in the first period by driving to the crease, where Gillies couldn’t control the puck, allowing it to end up in the net.
Boqvist made it 2-1 with 3:34 remaining in the opening period with his first goal of the season.
The Hurricanes also scored the first two goals last Saturday against New Jersey, but the Devils responded by winning that game 7-4.
HALFWAY HISTORY
The Hurricanes have completed half of their 82-game schedule with the best record in franchise history at this stage: 30-9-2, which gives them 62 points. The previous best 41-game mark was 58 points, achieved in the 2005-06 season and last season. Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
OUT AGAIN
Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen, fourth on the team with 32 points, was scratched for the second time in four games due to a lingering ailment. A week earlier at New Jersey, he missed a game for the first time this season because of an injury.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton remained out of New Jersey’s lineup with a broken jaw suffered at the beginning of January. He played the past three seasons with Carolina and received a hearty ovation during a first-period introduction.
HOMAGE TO THE WHALERS
The Hurricanes wore Hartford Whalers jerseys to honor the franchise’s past. It marked the sixth time since relocating to Raleigh that the Hurricanes wore Whalers jerseys, improving to 4-0-2 in those games.
“I sent a picture of my jersey to a friend earlier in the week,” Raanta said about the Whalers theme. “I think the whole crowd loved it.”
UP NEXT
- Devils: At Toronto on Monday night.
- Hurricanes: Host San Jose on Sunday night.
