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Exorcising Devils: Hurricanes Complete Season Sweep of Metro Rivals
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- Exorcising Devils: Hurricanes Complete Season Sweep of Metro Rivals
James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Carolina Hurricanes did it again.
With their 5-2 win on Saturday, the Hurricanes completed a season series sweep against their Metropolitan Division rival, the New Jersey Devils . The last time they did so was during the 2023-24 season, though the series then only consisted of three games.
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During the first period of the game, things were close between the Hurricanes and Devils in terms of pressure and persistence, but a goal from Timo Meier in the late minutes of the frame, thanks to the old-fashioned 'fly the zone' strategy, gave the Devils the edge.
It was a strategy they continued to implement throughout the game, making things hard for the Hurricanes.
But, Carolina proved that rest is a weapon once the rust is dusted off, as they struck back in the second frame – with not just one, but three goals scored throughout the period.
Nikolaj Ehlers was the first to score with a goal on the power play , then came a goal from Jackson Blake in the slot, who was soon followed by Jordan Staal with a magnificent tip-in on a shot from Ehlers.
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It was a fantastic frame by Carolina offensively and defensively, as they limited the Devils to only five shots.
The Final Twenty Minutes
Leading the game 3-1 as they went into the third frame, the Hurricanes continued to push offensively. Shayne Gostisbehere , who was in his first game back after missing nine straight with a lower-body injury, scored Carolina's fourth goal . However, less than 30 seconds later, he was given a rare charging penalty after landing a shoulder-to-shoulder blow on Evgenii Dadonov , who had the puck at the time of his commitment to the hit.
Nonetheless, Seth Jarvis f ound the back of the empty net during the penalty kill, scoring his 30th goal of the season for the third-straight season, becoming only the sixth player in franchise history to achieve the feat.
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Even still, the Devils did what they could with what they had, and Dadonov managed to get a goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game – his first of the season.
Onward to the Next Game
As the game came to a close, Ehlers was given the first star of the game and proceeded to the bench for a quick interview with reporter Hanna Yates, discussing the game and goals, before closing it with a simple statement:
"We got some revenge to go get tomorrow."
The Montreal Canadiens , whom he was referring to, will be their next opponent following a 5-2 loss to them just on Tuesday .
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