A dominant five-minute stretch in the second period was all the Carolina Hurricanes needed to push the New Jersey Devils to the brink of elimination.
Jordan Martinook had a goal and two assists, leading the Hurricanes to score five times in the second period and cruise to a 6-1 victory over the Devils on Tuesday night, commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal.
Carolina has now outscored New Jersey 17-3 in their three wins. The five-goal second period was the most the Devils have allowed in a single period all season.
“The game was decided in a five-minute span, and the rest was just so-so,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Martin Necas scored twice, while Brett Pesce, Jesper Fast, and Brent Burns added goals for the Hurricanes, who dismantled the young Devils for the third time in four games. Goaltender Frederik Andersen made 21 saves in a relatively stress-free game after surrendering an early goal to Jack Hughes.
The Hurricanes, who narrowly edged the Devils for the Metropolitan Division crown, can close out the series in Game 5 on Thursday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“We did what we needed to do,” said Carolina captain Jordan Staal, who contributed two assists. “It’s great to see everyone chipping in and winning battles.”
Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, the Devils entered Game 4 with momentum, following an 8-4 blowout win in Game 3. They even had an early spark after Hughes tipped in a shot for his sixth goal of the playoffs, firing up the home crowd.
But things took a turn late in the first period when Martinook assisted on Necas’ close-range goal with a slick pass, tying the game. From there, the second period belonged entirely to Carolina. The Hurricanes benefitted from a few lucky bounces off Devils’ sticks and piled on the goals. Even a timeout from New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff and a switch to goaltender Akira Schmid—who had shined in the first round—failed to halt the Hurricanes’ surge.
“We had guys who just went rogue,” Ruff said. “It’s hard to explain how poorly we skated and handled the puck. You can’t let one goal deflate a team. We didn’t skate.”
Martinook, who had no points in Carolina’s first-round series against the Islanders, was a key figure in the second period. He played a role in the first four goals scored in a span of just 5:20.
Necas gave the Hurricanes the lead at 7:26 when Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler deflected a cross-ice pass from Pesce, allowing Necas to fire it into the net.
Martinook was also involved in the final two goals of the period, assisting on Burns’ first goal of the postseason at 12:46. He then capped off the five-goal outburst by scoring on a breakaway with 24 seconds left in the period.
“It feels good to contribute, but being up 3-1 and heading home is the main thing,” Martinook said. “In Game 3, we left (Andersen) out to dry, but tonight we slowly took control.”
Vitek Vanecek allowed five goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Schmid, who fared slightly better but couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Hughes opened the scoring for the Devils just 1:55 into the game, tipping Timo Meier’s shot through Andersen’s pads. However, Necas’ first goal at 17:40 in the first period tied the game, and Carolina’s massive second period sealed New Jersey’s fate.
“It really took the wind out of our sails,” said Devils defenseman Damon Severson. “It’s tough to come back from something like that.”
Game Notes
- After Sunday’s win, the Devils made no changes to their lineup, once again opting for seven defensemen.
- Devils defenseman Ryan Graves missed his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
- Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour made one change, replacing Jesse Puljujarvi with MacKenzie MacEachern on the fourth line.
- Martinook now has three goals and six assists in this series. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s assist moved him into fifth place in franchise playoff points (32), passing Kevin Dineen.
The Devils will look to stave off elimination in Game 5, but Carolina is in control. It needs just one more win to advance to the next round.
