The Carolina Hurricanes began their journey up the mountain with a dominant Game 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon. Logan Stankoven struck twice, and Frederik Andersen was phenomenal as the Canes shut down the Devils, 4-1. With a game under their belts and the temperature of the series already boiling, there's no telling what Game 2 would bring.
Rod Brind'Amour rolled the same group from Game 1, including Andersen starting between the pipes, and Mark Jankowski and Tyson Jost serving as the healthy extras. New Jersey shuffled their forward lines, but the big news was on defense. Sheldon Keefe announced Luke Hughes and Brendan Dillon, both injured in Game 1, would not play on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the Devils.
After the Hurricanes got off to a quick start on Sunday, the Devils asserted themselves from the jump on Tuesday. Markstrom made an excellent breakaway stop on Eric Robinson before Jesper Bratt tapped home a rebound less than four minutes in, giving the Devils their first lead of the series. Dawson Mercer made a great play in the neutral zone before Bratt was on the spot for the goal.
Slowly, the Canes started to find their footing in the first period. They had two power plays that generated little, but it was clear that they were getting into it. The home side shrunk the Devils' shots advantage before the end of the frame, though Bratt's first of the series remained the only tally after 20 minutes.
A new team stepped out of the locker room for the second period. The Hurricanes were hyper-focused once again. They returned to their game by throwing everything they could at the net. The period wasn't three minutes old before they tied it up. Jackson Blake earned his first career playoff point, helping Shayne Gostisbehere light the lamp by lifting a rebound past Markstrom.
The Canes' penalty kill got some work a few minutes later and put the team ahead. After a scramble in the dot off the draw, Dmitry Orlov emerged with the puck. Jordan Martinook flew the zone and skated into Orlov's pass. Throwing it back to his effort in 2023, Martinook unleashed a wicked wrister that went off the post and in to score a short-handed goal and catapult the Canes into the lead.
The period got incredibly chippy and the score could've been worse if not for some key defensive plays by defensemen to bail out their goalies. Brett Pesce saved Markstrom twice, while Brent Burns prevented one from getting past Andersen. Interactions after whistles became increasingly frequent, too. Through two periods, the Canes led, but it was clear that this game was far from over.
The third period was all about goaltending. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom were in the zone to keep their opponents in check. Andersen was massive during an early penalty kill after Jordan Staal was cited for tripping. Once again, Timo Meier was victimized as Andersen stopped a one-timer and made the follow-up stop on Stefan Noesen.
Markstrom got a little help from the iron on William Carrier's chance in front of the net, but the Swede was stout throughout as well. He came up with a big save on Seth Jarvis late in regulation to keep it a one-goal game. However, Jarvis wouldn't miss the empty net. Martinook made a great play to spring Jarvis for an easy breakaway goal, sealing the victory as the Canes held serve at home.
They don't all have to be pretty, and this certainly wasn't, but it doesn't matter how you get them this time of year. When you get goaltending like this from Frederik Andersen, you stand a very good chance of winning every night. Through two games, Andersen has been phenomenal. The decision to roll with him for the second game was a great one, as he has gotten off to an excellent start.
New Jersey's effort on Tuesday reflected their push in the third period on Sunday. They were much better in Game 2, especially some of their top stars. Jesper Bratt was a problem almost every time he touched the puck. He got New Jersey's only goal for his efforts. If they want to come back in this series, they'll need guys like Timo Meier to show up. He missed a wide-open net late in the game.
There's something about Jordan Martinook against the Devils in the playoffs. Two years ago, Martinook torched the Devils for ten points and four multi-point efforts in five games. He's picked it right up in this series. After setting up a goal in Game 1, Martinook scored the go-ahead short-handed goal before setting up the empty-netter.
The Canes' top line also started to show signs of life. They were instrumental in the tying goal, with Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake earning the helpers. Seth Jarvis joined the fun by sealing the victory into the empty net. It was an especially good game for Blake. Outside of an ill-advised high-sticking penalty, the rookie was excellent, continuing his great work from the end of the season.
Game 3: The series shifts to Newark for two games. Games 3 and 4 will emanate from Prudential Center on Friday and Sunday, respectively. These next two games will be crucial for the Hurricanes. With their road struggles this season, a split would be great. I'd imagine we'll see Luke Hughes and Brendan Dillon back in the lineup with the extra day to recover.