NHL: Devils want to continue their momentum in Game 4 (Hurricanes)

index

Jordan Martinuk turned the Storm around with a goal and two assists as the Carolina Hurricanes battered New Jersey en route to a 6-1 victory over the Devils.

With the win, the Hurricanes put the Devils in a bad spot by going up 3-1 in the series.

After being ruled out in six first-round matches, the 30-year-old forward now has nine points, three goals and six assists, in four games in the series, putting him just short of the club record set by Corey Stillman. In 2006, the year the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. Stillman needed six games to collect 10 points in the Conference Finals.

Martinok also became the first player in Hurricanes history to score two points in four straight games.

Martin Necas also played a strong game, scoring two goals. Defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Pesce each scored a goal and an assist. Captain Jordan Staal added two assists.

After being thrown out of the final early in the second, Fredrik Andersen was powerful in the net with 21 saves.

For the fourth consecutive game in this series, a goaltender was ejected from the game, for the first time in NHL history. This time it was Vitek Vanicek who gave way to Akira Schmid in the second half after he conceded five goals on 17 shots. Schmid surrendered once on 11 balls thrown his way.

It was also the fourth time in NHL history that the first four games of a series ended with a margin of four or more goals.

After performing two assists in his first career playoff game, guard Luke Hughes was having a tougher night with a -3 record.

Defender Ryan Graves missed the second straight game. Prior to the game, both teams announce their candidate for the King Clancy Trophy which recognizes leadership and community involvement. On the Devils side, Jack Hughes is named, while the Hurricanes representative is Jordan Staal.

The Hurricanes could advance to the Conference Finals on Thursday, in a game to be played at PNC Arena in Raleigh, Carolina.

The Devils, buoyed by an 8-4 win on Sunday, wasted no time and put their work boots back on early in the game. With only 1:44 to play, Timo Meier hit a wrist shot from the point and Jack Hughes redirected the puck with his board behind Fredrik Andersen.

The goal raised the Hurricanes who began to outpace their rivals, but Vitek Vanicek held the fort. In the end, the hard work paid off for Carolina. Entering the area, Jordan Martinuk handed the puck over to Martin Nikas who, even with a bouncing puck, was able to place it behind the goalkeeper to equalise.

The Hurricanes continued to work in the second half getting better chances but Vanesque was solid early on.

Carolina ended up taking her chances. In a play similar to the one in the first period, Nikas beat Vanesque, this time with a pass from Brett Pesci.

Once the breach was discovered, the storm struck New Jersey. After only 2:25, Pesce beat Vanecek with a wrist shot that hit the post before hitting the ropes.

Jesper Fast added a layer of that 76 seconds later on a rebound before seeing Brent Burns chase Vanecek with a shot from the point just 89 seconds after Fast’s goal.

was the fourth Hurricanes aim for 6 shots and this is within five minutes and twenty seconds. Martinuk was complicit in that goal, earning his second assist of the game.

Feeling relieved, Akira Schmid was unable to stop the bleeding. The hero of the match, Martinock, came quickly down the right wing before hitting the goalkeeper with a wrist shot to make it 6-1 to claim his third point of the match.