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Hurricanes Smother Devils; Luke Hughes Has Worst Game of Season
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- Hurricanes Smother Devils; Luke Hughes Has Worst Game of Season
Is there a worse way to lose, other than how the New Jersey Devils (22-18-2) did while hosting the Carolina Hurricanes (25-15-3) on Sunday night?
The crazy thing is the Devils kept the game close for the majority of the contest.
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However, luck was not on their side in Game No. 42.
Certainly, Sunday's start is exactly how the Devils did not want to come out of the gate. Carolina got off to a quick lead after some early pressure in the offensive zone. Nikolaj Ehlers threw the Canes' first shot on net, which created a rebound.
Luke Hughes was first to the puck, however, deposited it in his own net trying to clear it, giving the Hurricanes an early 1–0 lead 50 seconds into the first period.
The Devils gained back some momentum at even strength, however. Arseny Gritsyuk became a thorn in Carolina's side, creating scoring chances twice in the same shift midway through the opening frame. On the second attempt, he collected his own rebound, and dished the puck to Dawson Mercer in the slot, and he tied the game at one.
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Mercer's 11th goal of the season snapped a 16-game goalless streak.
The Devils continued to struggle with the Carolina forecheck in the second period, and the Hurricanes made them pay.
Unfortunately, it came at the expense of Luke once again, as he was stick handling the puck through his own crease, and Taylor Hall poke-checked the rubber off his stick and past Jake Allen for a second own-goal, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead.
The Devils pressed hard in the third through 12-plus minutes of the final frame, pressuring Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi with nine shots on goal as opposed to Carolina's four.
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Yet, the Carolina forecheck struck again, and Logan Stankoven scored his to extend the Hurricanes lead 3-1.
The final buzzer blared, and the Devils' two-game win streak was snapped. Allen made 26 saves on 29 shots, and suffered his ninth loss of the season.
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