NEWARK, N.J. — In the end, the lead the Devils spotted to the Carolina Hurricanes early in the game was an insurmountable deficit.
The Devils’ comeback in Game 4 fell just short after chipping away at the Hurricanes’ 3-0 lead. New Jersey are now on the brink of elimination after a 5-2 loss and falling behind 3-1 in their First Round series.
Andrei Svechnikov scored in the opening minute of both the first and second periods, and Jaccob Slavin added a first-period goal to extend the Hurricanes’ lead.
Nico Hischier and Timo Meier scored in the second period for New Jersey, who brought the score as close at it would get, 3-2, entering the third period.
Jordan Martinook made it a 4-2 game with just over five minutes remaining in regulation and Svechnikov completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal.
The Hurricanes were forced into changing their goaltender, Freddie Andersen, at the 4:19 mark of the second period, after an unintentional collision with Meier injured the Canes netminder. Andersen’s afternoon finished with six saves on seven shots.
Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves on 28 shots.
Here are some observations from the game:
• The Hurricanes were forced to change their goaltender from Andersen to Pyotr Kochetkov early in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier, who had been pushed into the Hurricanes’ netminder. Andersen remained on the ice for a significant amount of time and was assisted by a team trainer before leaving the game.
The game was further delayed after the referees issued Meier a five-minute penalty. This call resulted in a cascade of boos from the crowd, but it allowed the officials to review the play. After briefly reviewing the video, the referees overturned their decision, and Meier was not penalized. The crowd erupted in cheers.
• Managing Carolina’s forecheck is one of the most challenging aspects of playing against the Hurricanes. They’re relentless and tenacious, much like dogs on a bone, which is exactly how they appeared to start things off in Game 4. The Devils spent a significant portion of the first half of the first period defending in their zone, facing a lopsided giveaway ratio against the Hurricanes. After 20 minutes of play, the Hurricanes had not been the victim of a single giveaway, while the Devils had surrendered nine.
• Cody Glass was the first Devil to beat Freddie Andersen, though the goal did not count. As Glass wired up for his shot, the ref blew the whistle for an offside play.
• The power play continues to elude the Devils. In Game 4, they failed to capitalize on their two opportunities, leaving their series at an astonishing 0-for-12. The Devils finished the regular season with the league’s third-ranked power play, but the Hurricanes also boasted the top penalty kill in the league.
• The Devils’ blueline continues to take a hit. After playing just six minutes in Game 3 and leaving after the first period, Johnny Kovacevic missed Game 4 with his undisclosed injury. Dennis Cholowski was inserted into the lineup. New Jersey was without three of their top six defensemen. Along with Kovacevic, Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon also sat out with their injuries. Neither Dillon nor Hughes has played since Game 1.
