Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 20 seconds into the game, and rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped the first 35 shots he faced as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the struggling New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Tuesday night. This win moved the Hurricanes into first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, and Stefan Noesen also scored for the Hurricanes, who have a 12-game points streak. Carolina now leads the division by two points over the Devils. Jaccob Slavin added two assists.
“It’s two points,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s not a standings time for me.”
Kochetkov made 37 saves overall, including a crucial stop on Jesper Bratt’s breakaway in the final 30 seconds of the second period.
“I feel like they were doing what they wanted to do,” Brind’Amour said. We capitalized on a few of their mistakes.”
The Devils have now lost their sixth straight game, a surprising downturn after only losing four times in 23 games through the end of November.
Jack Hughes scored with 4:36 remaining to prevent the Devils from being shut out for the first time this season. Hughes leads New Jersey with 17 goals.
Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 10 of 13 shots over two periods before being replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood, who made six saves.
The Hurricanes fired, putting three shots on goal in the game’s first 20 seconds. Kotkaniemi scored his fourth goal by knocking in his own rebound, marking Carolina’s fastest goal since a 12-second mark against Edmonton on Feb. 16, 2020.
“It’s good to get a nice start there right away,” Kotkaniemi said.
Brind’Amour called that the Hurricanes’ best shift of the game.
“That’s a tough team to contain, so it was always nice to get the lead,” Staal said.
For the Devils, it was not the start they needed.
“Terrible play by us,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We beat ourselves on the goals against.”
Staal’s goal at 4:17 of the second period followed, with Teravainen adding a short-handed goal just over two minutes later, giving the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead.
Despite outshooting the Hurricanes 27-13 through two periods, the Devils couldn’t convert on their chances.
The Devils were 0-for-4 on power plays, which Ruff acknowledged had good moments but lacked execution.
“It comes down to execution,” he said.
HIS TURN AGAIN
Kochetkov has played in nine of Carolina’s last 10 games, with eight starts. His record is 10-1-4.
“It’s just a question of how much you play him when you’re in that groove,” Brind’Amour said. “You got to be cognizant of the wear and tear.”
By going 8-0-2 in his last 10 games, he’s tied for the longest points streak by a goalie in franchise history.
WELCOME BACK
Blackwood returned to action for the first time since Nov. 3 after recovering from a knee sprain.
“It feels good to be back,” he said. “Obviously not ideal tonight.”
With two more games this week, Blackwood is expected to see more action.
“(Good) to get him a little feel,” Ruff said. “I liked what I saw.”
ICE MATTERS
The Devils made a goalie change for the second time in the past month. The Hurricanes have two short-handed goals this season, while New Jersey has now allowed two.
UP NEXT
- Devils: At Florida on Wednesday night.
- Hurricanes: At Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
