Jordan Martinook continued to haunt the Devils in the postseason, posting a goal and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes beat New Jersey 3-1 on Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C., to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Newark, N.J.
Martinook has four goals and 13 points in seven career playoff games against New Jersey.
“I love (the) playoffs; I feel like it brings the best out of me,” Martinook said.
Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andresen stopped 25 shots.
Jesper Bratt got the goal for the Devils. Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said, “We were able to get to our game early. It’s a great response. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to build on it.”
Carolina, which has held New Jersey to two goals in the series, scored twice in the first six minutes of the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
Gostisbehere tied the game 2:57 into the second when he converted his own rebound. Three minutes later, Martinook’s short-handed goal put the Hurricanes on top. He scored from the left circle off the rush after taking a backhand pass from defenseman Dmitry Orlov in the neutral zone.
Jarvis added an empty-net goal with 37 seconds left.
It could have been worse for the Devils in the second period but defenseman Brett Pesce, a former Hurricane, knocked the puck away from the goal line when it was inches away and cleared another that was heading toward the net.
New Jersey got off to a fast start and took its first lead of the series 3:51 into the game, when Bratt put in the rebound of Erik Haula’s shot off the rush.
When Carolina got chances late in the first period, Markstrom made the saves, including one on Jack Roslovic at the left post during a power play.
The Devils were without defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon because of undisclosed injuries sustained in Game 1 on Sunday. They were replaced by Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski, who made their Stanley Cup playoff debuts.
–Field Level Media
