Andrei Svechnikov recorded a hat trick and the Carolina Hurricanes surged past the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Sunday, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Brent Burns added a goal and an assist, while Jaccob Slavin scored for the Hurricanes, who rebounded strongly after a double-overtime loss in Game 3. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake each chipped in with two assists.
“Your best players have to step up this time of year,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Svechnikov was everywhere tonight, and that’s exactly what we needed.”
Carolina’s netminding duties were split between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. Andersen made six saves before exiting early in the second period with an apparent injury. Kochetkov came in and stopped 14 shots to secure the win.
Timo Meier had a goal and an assist for the Devils, while Nico Hischier scored. Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves in the loss.
“They played better than us,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “They had us pinned down. We couldn’t generate enough.”
Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes will have a chance to close out the series.
Carolina wasted no time building a lead. Svechnikov opened the scoring with a shot through traffic from the right circle. Slavin made it 2-0 midway through the first, intercepting a clearing attempt, banking the puck off the boards to himself, and beating Markstrom from a sharp angle.
The Hurricanes extended their lead just 42 seconds into the second period. Jarvis sent a shot from the right circle that deflected off Svechnikov’s broken stick and into the net for a 3-0 advantage.
The Devils tried to rally. Hischier got New Jersey on the board a little over two minutes later, firing home a loose puck after a pass from Meier. Shortly after, Meier added his own goal, beating Kochetkov five-hole to bring the Devils within 3-2.
However, the Hurricanes clamped down. Burns restored a two-goal lead with 5:46 left, sneaking a shot between Markstrom’s pads after the puck trickled loose. Svechnikov completed his hat trick with an empty-netter, sealing the victory with 3:17 remaining.
The Devils, already missing defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon for a third straight game, were also without Johnathan Kovacevic. Their depleted blue line struggled to contain Carolina’s relentless attack.
“We made a game of it, but it wasn’t enough,” Keefe said.
