Raleigh, nc – Raleigh, NC (AP) – The Hurricanes de la Caroline just wanted to be healthy before the Stanley Cup qualifying series, even if it meant key resting players and tripping in the section of the regular season.
The first gain arrived on Sunday.
Logan Stankuven scored two goals in the second period in his first eliminatory match with Carolina while the Hurricanes beat New Jersey Devils 4-1 to open their first round series. Carolina led 3-0, more than doubled the release of the New Jersey shot and maintained the pressure in a good start to the season.
“Obviously, it was quite clear that I think we are looking forward to this day a little now,” said goalkeeper Frederik Andersen.
Jalen Chatfield scored a first period goal for the Hurricanes, who maintained regular pressure on the Devils Jacob Marksrom goalkeeper. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty nose clincher at the end of the third.
The Caroline had lost seven of his last eight regular season games since he won his seventh consecutive trip to the playoffs on April 3, several coming with stars and key contributors to alignment. In this sense, it was a long wait to arrive here, back on the ice at home with a crowd of return in eliminatory mode.
“There is always this concern that you may come out a little slow or something else,” said coach Rod Brind’amour. “But obviously, this was not the case. And we were healthy, a healthy group. It was therefore a calculated risk, but at least after match 1, it was the right decision.”
Andersen finished with 23 stops for Carolina, including a key stop on Timo Meier near the fold half of the third. The Hurricanes also diverted a game of power from the Devils with about eight minutes to stay firmly in control.
Nico Hischier obtained the only goal of the New Jersey by taking the cross pass from Jesper Bratt and exploding the Andersen washer during a chance of 4 against 4 in the second.
Carolina finished with a 45-24 advantage.
“They don’t do anything special,” said Hischier. “They play simple hockey, hard hockey, and we just have to match this.”
Marksrom finished with 41 stops on what turned out to be a physically damaged afternoon for the Devils, who had several players skating in the tunnel with injuries.
The first defender Brenden Dillon fell in the second period after being tangled with Caroline William’s carrier, then had a hard time staying before being helped to the tunnel. Coach Sheldon Keefe said Dillon wanted to come back, but the doctors held him aside.
Later, the Devils lost two players on a single chaotic sequence in the third, which started with defender Luke Hughes lying in the net and then doubled in pain while reaching his left shoulder. Almost immediately, Marksrom took a blow to Svechnikov near the top of the fold only to inadvertently hit Center Cody Glass and hit him on the ice
While Hughes was able to return, Glass was helped to the tunnel and Keefe was not updated on Glass thereafter.
Chatfield started the Hurricanes starting with a goal at only 2:24 in the match. Then, it was a big day for Stankuven, who was the main return in an agreement of the commercial diadline that allowed Caroline to get out of her addition in January in January, Mikko Rantanen.
Stankuven first zipped the washer in front of Marksrom with a flow from Jordan Martinook, who had forced Hischier in a turnover along the boards, at 6:37 am from the second. He struck again on the power game, with Stankuven exploding a shot in front of Marksrom and inside the left post for the 3-0 edge.
“I thought the second period we were just out of date,” said Keefe. “It was not good enough. The third period was good. The damage was caused at that time.”
Match 2 of the series is Tuesday.
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