Jack Roslovic scored twice, and Jackson Blake netted the go-ahead power-play goal as part of a four-goal third period, propelling the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Dmitry Orlov and Sebastian Aho also scored during Carolina’s explosive final frame. Goalie Dustin Tokarski made 21 saves to help the Hurricanes split the home-and-home series with the Devils.
Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat scored for New Jersey, whose three-game winning streak came to an end. Jake Allen recorded 37 saves but hasn’t won a game in over a month.
The victory marked a milestone for Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour, who became the fastest coach in NHL history to reach 300 wins. He accomplished the feat in just 488 games, eight fewer than Bruce Boudreau.
New Jersey had won the first game of the back-to-back series, 4-2, at home on Friday night.
Takeaways
Devils: New Jersey was on the verge of achieving a season-best fourth consecutive win before Carolina’s dominant third period. The Devils had conceded only two goals combined in their previous three games but unraveled late.
Hurricanes: Carolina struggled to find the net early, scoring their first goal on their 30th shot—a rocket from Orlov in the final seconds of the second period. Defenseman Ty Smith made his Hurricanes debut against his former team, filling in for Shayne Gostisbehere, who missed his first game of the season due to an upper-body injury.
Key Moment
A turning point came when New Jersey’s Timo Meier was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit on Hurricanes scoring leader Martin Necas. Carolina capitalized on the extended power play, with Blake scoring the game-winner.
Key Stat
The Devils and Hurricanes split their four matchups this season. Interestingly, the first three games all ended with 4-2 scores.
Up Next
The Devils travel to Anaheim to face the Ducks on Tuesday, while the Hurricanes visit Columbus.
