Carolina Hurricanes Capitalize on Late Opportunities, Defeat the New Jersey Devils 3-1

In a game full of sloppiness and a lot of scoring chances, the Carolina Hurricanes come out on top with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

CAR Goal (9:57) – Brett Pesce (3), assisted by John-Michael Liles (6), Joakim Nordstrom (5)

Rookie blue liner Brett Pesce broke the scoring mid-way through the 2nd period thanks to a low shot from the blue line and a great net-front presence from the Hurricanes.

3rd Period

NJD Goal (1:18) – Kyle Palmieri (15), assisted by Mike Cammalleri (21), Adam Henrique (12)

The Devils tied the game at 1 early on in the 3rd period. Palmieri was able to out-muscle Ron Hainsey behind the Canes goal, and he put a wrap around in the net past Cam Ward

CAR Goal (8:17) – Justin Faulk (13), assisted by Eric Staal (15), Kris Versteeg (14)

The Canes took the lead back once again, and they never looked back. A good zone entry, led by Canes captain Eric Staal, ended with a quick shot from Justin Faulk on the rush that beat Cory Schneider low on his glove side.

CAR Goal (16:46) – Joakim Nordstrom (2), assisted by Justin Faulk (16)

Carolina put the game away with a late 3rd period goal from Nordstrom. Nordstrom put a quick slap shot on Schneider on the rush, and he beat him short side.

Three Stars

1st Star – Joakim Nordstrom (CAR) – 1 goal, 1 assist, +1, 3 shots, 2 hits, 15:17 TOI

2nd Star – Justin Faulk (CAR) – 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 3 shots, 3 hits, 22:13 TOI

3rd Star – Brett Pesce (CAR) – 1 goal, +1, 1 shot, 19:49 TOI

Recap

Coming off the Christmas break, the Carolina Hurricanes returned to the ice and did what they needed to in order to pick up a win against the New Jersey Devils.

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It was a sloppy game from the outset. An early offensive-zone penalty on Eric Staal put ended a great first shift from Carolina’s top line of Versteeg, Staal, and Lindholm.

That first line was able to rebound and lead the club with some outstanding offensive shifts, leading to a plethora of scoring chances and a 2nd period goal from Brett Pesce.

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The steady play of Carolina’s 2nd line, one that features big, defensively solid players in Nordstrom, Jordan Staal, and Nestrasil, continued their hot play. Nordstrom received first star honors and had a multi-point evening.

The continued hot play of Cam Ward was key for a Canes win on Saturday. Ward stopped 19 of 20 New Jersey shots. He has allowed just 5 goals over his last 5 appearances. He improved his record to 11-10-5 on the season.

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters wasn’t afraid to keep all four forward lines rolling. He was able to keep all of his forwards between 10 and 17 minutes of time on ice. This can also be attributed to the lack of specialty team work. Both teams only had 1 man advantage.

Justin Faulk scored his first non-powerplay goal of the season against the Devils. He scored all of his first 12 goals on the man advantage. He also chipped in on Nordstrom’s game-sealing goal in the latter stages of the 3rd period with an assist.

The Hurricanes saw some great depth both on offense and defense, and the great play of Cam Ward was what gave them the real upper hand over the Devils, a team that has been a playoff bubble team since the start of the season.

Next: Canes Need to Keep Rolling with Cam Ward

The Carolina Hurricanes will have a quick turnaround. They will take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night on the road.