Carolina Hurricanes Blow a Lead, Lose Tough Game Against the New Jersey Devils

Scoring Summary

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

CAR Goal (2:51) – Eric Staal (6), assisted by Kris Versteeg (15), Elias Lindholm (10)

The Hurricanes struck first early in the 2nd period thanks to the captain. Versteeg set up Staal to the left of Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid, and Staal was able to roof it in from an off-angle to give the Canes a 1-0 lead.

NJ Goal (6:06) – Bobby Farnham (4), unassisted

The Devils knotted things up just moments after Carolina took the lead. Farnham took control of the puck behind the Canes net, and he chipped out front, and it bounced off of John-Michael Liles and past Cam Ward, tying the game up at a goal apiece.

CAR Goal (9:46) – Eric Staal (7), unassisted

The Hurricanes didn’t take New Jersey’s tying goal lightly. Jaccob Slavin got the puck in deep, and the Canes won a board battle in the corner, which led to Staal throwing the puck in short-side on Kinkaid, making it a 2-1 hockey game.

3rd Period

NJ Goal (7:14) – Kyle Palmieri (16), assisted by Jon Merrill (2), Travis Zajac (10)

The Devils tied things up near the mid-way point of the 3rd period. Merrill threw a shot on net through a screen from the point, and the puck deflected off of Palmieri’s skate in front and past Ward.

NJ Goal (16:55) – David Schlemko (4), assisted by Travis Zajac (11), Lee Stempniak (19)

New Jersey came up bug late. Schlemko threw the puck on net from the boards, and it bounced off the left led of Justin Faulk and into the Canes net, giving the Devils a 3-2 lead late in the 3rd period.

Three Stars

1st Star – David Schlemko, D (NJ) – 1 goal, 1 shot, 1 hit, +1, 20:36 TOI

2nd Star – Eric Staal, C (CAR) – 2 goals, 3 shots, +1, 17:18 TOI

3rd Star – Kyle Palmieri, RW (NJ) – 1 goal, +1, 4 shots, 2 hits, 19:27 TOI

Recap

The Carolina Hurricanes just couldn’t get the bounces on Tuesday night in New Jersey. The Devils defended their home ice and came out on top over the Hurricanes by a final score of 3-2.

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It was a tight one throughout in New Jersey. After a scoreless 1st period, a pair of 2nd period goals from Eric Staal was good enough to give the Canes a 2-1 lead entering the final frame.

The tables turned for Carolina in the final frame. Just over 7 minutes into the 3rd period, Kyle Palmieri deflected the puck into the net for the Devils to tie things up, then in the dying minutes of the game, Schlemko threw the puck on net from a bad angle along the boards, and it bounced off Justin Faulk and into the net. That gave the Devils a 3-2 lead and a big home ice win.

This one was tough for Carolina. They did a lot of things right and played well enough to win the game, but it just wasn’t in the cards. A pair of New Jersey goals were deflected in by Canes defensemen, and that ultimately was the difference.

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Even in the 3rd period, in which the Canes entered with a 2-1 lead, the Hurricanes continued to get the better chances. However, Keith Kinkaid was able to ward off those chances, and the home team mustarded up just enough offense. They put just 4 shots on net in the 3rd, scoring on 2 of them.

As bad as some of the bounced were for the Hurricanes, the Devils did put the work in, and they created those chances. They went hard to the net and put the puck where it needed to be, leading to good chances and goals.

Eric Staal came to play for Carolina, picking up his first multi-goal game of the season and his first since January of the 2014-2015 season. His line as a whole, one that featured both Kris Versteeg and Elias Lindholm, played very well in all three zones, keeping the Devils in check in transition and making smart plays with the puck up the ice.

Jordan Staal also delivered in many ways, but his faceoff game was remarkable. He won 82% of his draws and created offensive chances as well. He rang a shot off the post shortly after Farnham’s 2nd period goal for the Devils.

Despite allowing 3 goals on 24 shots, Cam Ward played admirably on Tuesday. He made big saves and largely duplicated his performance from Saturday. Unfortunately, he was a victim of bad bounces and some unfortunate plays in front of him.

The standout player for Carolina on the blue line was Jaccob Slavin. He played one of his best games to date, putting 3 shots on net and creating a lot of offensive opportunities, reading passing lanes in the neutral zone, and making impactful plays in his own end. He had an impressive performance, and he was a +1 on the evening.

The Carolina Hurricanes will have to go home with a loss, but there’s a lot of good things to take away. This is a game they should have won, but their 2-game win streak comes to an end against the team that kicked it off in the New Jersey Devils.

Next: Can Faulk Sustain His Big Offensive Success?

The Canes will now return to Raleigh to take on the Metropolitan Division leading Washington Capitals on New Year’s Eve.