The New Jersey Devils are now on the brink of elimination. They suffered a big defeat in Game 4, with the Carolina Hurricanes winning 5-2, powered by a Andrei Svechnikov hat trick.
Game Recap
First Period
It only took 52 seconds, but the Hurricanes drew first blood in the period. After a turnover by Dougie Hamilton, a rebound generated by Jacob Markstrom saw the puck find its way to Andrei Svechnikov, who spun around and floated a shot towards net that founds its way past Markstrom who was screened.
The Devils struggled to respond offensively and it was Hurricanes all period long. At the 9:47 mark, Jaccob Slavin scored to make it 2-0, as he capitalized off a turnover and fired a ridiculous shot from an angle that beat Markstrom short side above the shoulder. The Devils got a power play, but once again could not capitalize. The Devils headed to the second period down 2-0.
The Devils got pummeled by the Hurricanes all period. The Hurricanes took to the attack and held the edge in shot attempts (28-8) during five-on-five play. Scoring chances were well in their favor, but neither team could find any offense in the high danger areas of the ice. It was a very low event period for the Devils, mustering up just 0.25 expected goals for the period. A tall hill to climb.
Second Period
Much like the first period, the Hurricanes struck and struck early. 42 seconds into the period, Svechnikov got his second goal of the game. After Seth Jarvis received a cross-ice pass, Jarvis fed a pass towards the goal and Svechnikov deflected it past Markstrom. Two minutes later, the Devils responded and grabbed their first goal of the game.
Good things happen when you throw the puck towards the net. Timo Meier threw the puck towards the goal and Nico Hischier pounced on the loose puck and got the Devils on the board.
After the Devils scored, on another scoring chance, Timo Meier driving to the front of the net drove into Andersen and made contact with him. There was a review due to the potential of Meier having a major penalty. After the review, it was determined there was no penalty. In came Pyotr Kochetkov. Not long after the change, the Devils scored once again.
After the faceoff, Meier corralled the loose puck and fired a harmless shot towards the net that found its way past Kochetkov to make it 3-2. Both teams got good chances, but both goalies held things together. The Devils were down 3-2 headed into the third period.
This period was a tighter contested period. The shot attempts during five-on-five were almost dead even. Both teams were tightly contested with scoring chances, shots on goal, and even high danger shot attempts. One area the Devils did dominate was their expected goals share, which was 1.34-0.82.
Third Period
This period had phenomenal pace. Both teams were getting after it and it took a long while to get the first goal of the period. With just under six minutes to go, Jordan Martinook poked the puck through Markstrom to make it 4-2. Head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled Markstrom and Svechnikov scored with the empty net to secure the hat trick and extend the lead 5-2.
The Hurricanes may have scored the goals this period, but the Devils’ effort was evident. It was a tighter contested period, with lower event offense.
Game Notes
- The line of Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Ondrej Palat was quite effective. They outshot the opposition 9-4 and had a 66.04 expected goals for percentage (xGF%). The line accounted for two goals.
- The Devils’ power play and special teams play remains to be an issue. They are now 0-for-11 on the power play, while also seeing the Hurricanes score their fourth power play goal of the series.
What’s Next?
The Devils head to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday night. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 pm ET on TNT.