Taylor Hall made a telling return against his old team, scoring once and setting up another as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 3–1 on Sunday night to halt a three-game skid.
Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi was sharp in net, turning aside 28 shots as Carolina, sitting atop the standings, rebounded after recent struggles. Nikolaj Ehlers and Logan Stankoven also found the back of the net for the Hurricanes. Claimed off waivers from Florida in October, Bussi improved his record to 14-2-1.
New Jersey’s lone goal came from Dawson Mercer, while Jake Allen finished with 26 saves. The Devils saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
Hall broke a 1–1 tie midway through the second period, poking the puck off Luke Hughes’ stick and past Allen at 7:47 for his eighth goal of the season. He later helped seal the outcome by feeding Stankoven in the right corner, leading to an insurance goal with 7:44 remaining in regulation.
Carolina jumped out quickly when Ehlers opened the scoring just 51 seconds into the game. The goal was credited to Ehlers after the puck deflected off Hughes and slid past Allen. Mercer answered for New Jersey at 7:24 of the first, finishing a close-range chance for his 11th of the year.
Hall, now 34, famously enjoyed his best NHL season with New Jersey in 2017–18, posting a career-high 93 points and capturing the Hart Trophy.
The Devils entered the night riding momentum after consecutive wins over Utah and Columbus, but couldn’t extend the streak at home.
Up Next
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Hurricanes: Host Dallas on Tuesday night.
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Devils: Visit the New York Islanders on Tuesday to begin a road-heavy stretch.
