Jacob Markstrom’s two-game shutout streak ended, but he still made 29 saves to help the New Jersey Devils beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday in Newark, N.J. Markstrom, 34, extended his win streak to six games and is now 9-0-1 in his last 10 starts.
Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist for his third two-point game in the past four matches. Ondrej Palat, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer also scored for the Devils.
Hughes was one of five defensemen who recorded an assist in the game. The Devils have now won three straight games and six of their last seven. Brent Burns had a goal and an assist for Carolina, and Eric Robinson also scored. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 19 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost three of their last four games.
Although the Devils’ streak of allowing fewer than 20 shots on goal in seven games came to an end, Markstrom remained solid in net. The Devils’ offense continued to perform well, and they have now won three games in a row for the fourth time this season.
Carolina took the lead midway through the first period when Robinson pushed a loose puck behind Markstrom after a shot from Jackson Blake. However, the Devils quickly responded with two goals in 42 seconds.
Palat tied the game at 16:12 of the first, deflecting a shot from Johnathan Kovacevic past Kochetkov. Hughes then helped set up New Jersey’s second goal, passing to Stefan Noesen, who set up Hischier for the go-ahead goal with 3:06 left in the period.
Burns scored early in the second period to tie the game, but Hughes put the Devils back in front with a goal at 4:15. He was assisted by Brett Pesce and Jesper Bratt. Mercer added a fourth goal for the Devils with 11:23 remaining in the second period.
The final 8:11 of the game was played without any stoppages. The Devils will aim for their first four-game winning streak since January 2023 when they meet the Hurricanes again in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday.
