Recap

On the back end of a home-and-home, the Devils fought back from a 2-1 third period deficit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout to move to 6-3-3 on the year. The Devils came out firing in the first period. They took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission and out shot Carolina 17-5 in the opening frame. However, Carolina came swinging back in the second period and took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission thanks to goals from Jordan Staal and Klas Dahlbeck.

It didn’t take long for the Devils to knot things back up. Nick Lappin, who continues to impress, scored his first NHL goal just 4 minutes into the third period to get New Jersey back even. The Devils managed to get things to a shootout, and unlike in previous years, they have a bit more skill when it comes to the skills competition. Cory Schneider stopped every shot he faced in the shootout and the Devils got goals from Taylor Hall and P.A. Parenteau to seal the deal and improve New Jersey to 5-0-1 at home.

Game Notes

• There aren’t enough good things to say about P.A. Parenteau right now. He’s been fantastic for the Devils this season. He scored the first goal of the game and added another in the shootout. For the season, he’s at 55% possession and has found great chemistry with Taylor Hall and Travis Zajac. Parenteau is also 20/43 in his career in the shootout, so that’s something to keep an eye on going forward.

• Another Devil who continues to impress is rookie, Nick Lappin. He’s been visible on the ice almost every game he’s played and is at 60% possession on the season, the best of any Devils player. If he keeps playing the way he is, there’ll be plenty of more goals like the one he scored last night.

• He may not have gotten on the scoresheet last night, but Damon Severson continues to thrive on the Devils top defensive pair. He was +7 in shot attempts last night and looks comfortable playing alongside Andy Greene. John Hynes and co really needed him to take a big step forward this season, and so far, he’s exceeded expectations.

• Kyle Palmieri and Adam Henrique were held off the scoresheet again last night. There isn’t reason to panic for either player yet. Henrique is a career 15.5% shooter who’s only at 10% this year while Palmieri is a 11.7% career shooter at just 7.7% this year. Eventually, luck will change for both of these players.

• It’s only one shootout, but with Parenteau’s success in them and with Taylor Hall’s skill, I think Devils fans can breathe a little easier this season when it comes to these situations.