Devils fall in OT in season-ending Recreation 5 loss to Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. — Jesper Quick deflected in a shot by Jesperi Kotkaniemi at 7:09 of additional time to offer the Carolina Hurricanes a series-ending 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday evening.

Quick’s deflection whereas shielding Akira Schmid set off a celebration for the Hurricanes, who by no means led till the ultimate play and twice trailed by a purpose earlier than profitable the best-of-seven sequence 4-1 to succeed in the Japanese Convention closing.

Within the first tight recreation of the second-round matchup, Quick made amends for when he popped a puck over the purpose in entrance of an open web within the first interval.

Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns additionally scored for Carolina, and Frederik Andersen made 27 saves.

Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier scored for New Jersey. Schmid stopped 36 photographs.

This marks Carolina’s first journey to the Japanese Convention closing since 2019. The Hurricanes will face the winner of the Florida-Toronto sequence, with the Panthers main that one 3-1.

The primary 4 video games of the sequence had been stuffed by lopsided outcomes, with every determined by a minimum of 4 objectives and a beginning goaltender chased early.

Carolina received the primary two video games at dwelling by an 11-2 margin, then shook off a Recreation 3 loss by blowing issues open within the second interval for a 6-1 highway win Tuesday in Recreation 4.

The Hurricanes had been on this place in Spherical 1, with an opportunity to shut out the New York Islanders on dwelling ice in Recreation 5.

They misplaced that one and as a substitute needed to clinch the sequence with an additional time highway win in Recreation 6.

This time, they wanted a dramatic end to keep away from a repeat.

The Devils’ exit is available in a season the place a younger group arrived to postseason rivalry sooner than anticipated.

New Jersey completed one level behind the Hurricanes within the Metropolitan Division for the league’s third-best level complete (112) and the franchise’s first playoff look in 5 years, then pushed previous the rival New York Rangers in seven video games regardless of falling behind 0-2 for its first playoff sequence win since 2012.

Missed probabilities

Each groups missed on obvious simple putaways that loomed massive as the sport pushed into OT.

The Hurricanes’ early probabilities included Seth Jarvis’ deflection banging off the best submit roughly 6 minutes in.

Then got here Paul Stastny discovering Quick on the prime of the crease — solely to see Quick carry the puck over the uncovered web in a play that left him shaking his head in exasperation as soon as again on the bench.

The Devils’ irritating second got here in a wild second-period sequence.

Meier stole possession behind the Carolina web and began a pass-happy sequence that noticed the puck go from Michael McLeod to Phil Hughes simply outdoors the crease, after which to Meier on the alternative aspect for a putaway likelihood — solely to see Meier ship the puck harmlessly by and out of the crease.