Opening Night was a letdown for the Carolina Hurricanes, dropping a 4-1 decision to Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kucherov notched a hat trick and added an assist, while Jordan Staal scored the lone marker for Carolina. With an extra day to work after their Saturday game was canceled, the Canes looked to rebound with their first division opponent of the season, the New Jersey Devils.
The lineup remained the same for the Hurricanes with Pyotr Kochetkov's season debut marking the only change. While this was Carolina's second game of the season, the Devils were playing their sixth. New Jersey featured a few former Hurricanes on their roster, including Stefan Noesen in his first game back in Raleigh. Jacob Markstrom, the Devils' big offseason addition, started in the crease.
With the Devils playing on Monday, the Hurricanes looked to take advantage. They had several chances in the first period, but Markstrom was up for the challenge. The fourth line stood out early. The best sequence came courtesy of Jackson Blake and Eric Robinson. Blake narrowly avoided having his head knocked off by Brendan Dillon, allowing him and Robinson to escape the zone and get two good chances. Neither Kochetkov nor Markstrom broke, giving us a scoreless opening frame.
The Devils drew first blood in the second period after Jack Hughes cut to the center of the ice and threw a shot through the legs of Kochetkov 76 seconds in. After this point, the ice felt like it started to tip in the Canes' favor. Their hard work would pay off past the midway point in the period. Andrei Svechnikov stripped Dougie Hamilton of the puck, setting up Seth Jarvis, who worked to an empty area and snapped it over Markstrom's glove.
The second period wouldn't end without more magic from the Hurricanes. Jesperi Kotkaniemi made an excellent play along the boards, fighting off two Devils to win a battle and get the puck to Martin Necas. With a little time and space, Necas found Shayne Gostisbehere at the point, and the defenseman snapped it home. Gostisbehere picked on Markstrom's glove again, putting the Canes ahead with less than a minute to go as Carolina moved into the third period up 2-1.
The chances kept coming in the third period for the Hurricanes, but the moment of the night came just past the midway point. Eric Robinson did an excellent job of forcing a turnover to Dmitry Orlov by sealing the boards. Orlov wasted no time firing the puck toward Markstrom, finding Jackson Blake's stick. The rookie redirected the shot past Markstrom and went into full celebration mode after scoring his first NHL goal.
Blake would be on the wrong end of a tripping call and Jordan Marinook would be flagged for shooting the puck over the glass, giving New Jersey an extended 5-on-3. Nico Hischier would take advantage, shrinking the Canes' advantage with 4:44 left to give the Devils a little life. The comeback bid would fall short after Sebastian Aho buried the empty netter to secure the first victory of the season, 4-2.
Along with Blake's first goal, it was a night of milestones for the Hurricanes. Aho and Kotkaniemi reached games played milestones, skating in their 600th and 400th NHL games, respectively. Kotkaniemi's secondary assist on Gostisbehere's goal was his 100th point with the Canes. Orlov's assist on Blake's goal was his 300th career point.
Top to bottom, this was a great night for the entire Hurricanes lineup. The stars who were silent on Friday night rebounded. The entire top line found the scoresheet, as did two-thirds of the second line. The fourth line was responsible for the game-winner. The Staal line was just as lethal, with Martinook getting his assist on Aho's dagger. It was also an excellent night for the team's newest defensive pair of Gostisbehere and Sean Walker.
Kochetkov matched his team's desperation, making some big saves while the game was close. His most consequential stop of the night came after New Jersey scored early in the second period. Seamus Casey snuck down from the point, but Kochetkov stood tall to force Casey's offer away with his pad. If the Devils make it 2-0 there, it would've been a tough hill to climb for the Hurricanes. With both goalies getting looks to start the season, Kochetkov stepped up to earn the first win.
Up Next: As the State Fair rolls into Raleigh on Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes will embark on their first long road trip of the season. It'll begin with a weekend back-to-back in Pittsburgh and St. Louis before the Canes take over the Pacific Northwest. The western portion of the journey will see the Canes stop in Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle, and Vancouver before returning home to face Boston on Halloween.