Game 3 blowout: Devils double up Hurricanes, 8-4, cut into Canes’ playoff series lead

The New Jersey Devils’ best players were their best players Sunday, which was a bad thing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Jack Hughes, getting a chance to play with little brother Luke in the Stanley Cup playoffs, had two goals and two assists as the Devils took an 8-4 victory in Game 3 for their first win of the second-round series.

Sebastian Aho scored — and later traded punches with Jack Hughes — and Jordan Martinook converted a penalty shot after being hooked by Dougie Hamilton on a shorthanded chance. Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis both had shorthanded goals for the Canes in the third after the Devils had taken a 7-2 lead..

Timo Meier scored his first goal of the playoffs as the Devils built a 3-0 lead after the first period. Hughes, who had 99 points in the regular season, assisted on the Meier goal, then scored on a shot from the right wing for just the start the Devils wanted.

When Michael McLeod hustled his way to a shorthanded goal, busting down the ice, it was 3-0 and the place was very loud.

Canes goalie Frederik Andersen started his fourth straight playoff game but was taken out after Nico Hischier made it 4-0 in the second period — Pyotr Kochetkov taking over in net.

Aho got the Canes on the board in the second period with his fifth goal of the playoffs, but the Devils answered on a Damon Severson goal to make it 5-1.

Luke Hughes made his NHL playoff debut for the Devils in Game 3 and the defenseman assisted on the Severson goal for his first playoff point. Luke Hughes, 19, was a first-round draft pick by the Devils in 2021 and made his NHL debut this season.

Game 4 will be played Tuesday (7 p.m) at the Prudential Center.

Takeaways from Game 3

▪ Tough afternoon for the Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce defensive pairing. Plus/minus is not always an accurate gauge of play but Skjei and Pesce both were minus-4. Forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who starred for the Canes in Game 2, also was minus-4.

▪ Jack Hughes is a fun guy to watch if you like hockey and enjoy seeing skilled players display their skill. He’s slight but he’s slick and he’s the Devils’ motor.

Hughes had the no-look pass through his legs that set up Timo Meier for the first goal of the game. He had a goal-scorer’s goal to make it 2-0, sniping one past Andersen.

▪ Jordan Martinook suddenly can’t be stopped – not one on one. The Canes forward scored on a breakaway in Game 2, then beat Vancecek again with a forehand-to-backhand move Sunday on his penalty shot.

It was said to be the first goal scored on a shorthanded penalty shot since Daniel Cleary of the Red Wings against Calgary in April 2007.

▪ Jack Hughes and Aho went head-to-head and battled it out behind the Canes net in the second period. Hughes continued to throw punches when both were on the ice. That got Aho’s attention.

In the third, the Canes’ Stefan Noesen and former Canes forward Erik Haula went at it, dropping the gloves. Noesen was a clear winner, face-planting Haula.

▪ Not sure how serious Antti Raanta’s illness is or how long the goalie will be sidelined. But the Canes need a healthy Andersen and Raanta. Andersen’s illness and injury in the first round put extra strain on Raanta, and now Andersen has had to play four in a row.

▪ “The Rock” can rock. Devils fans at the Prudential Center found towels on their seats that said “Lose Your Minds” and the fans did that.

Meier’s first goal of the playoffs had the decibel count high. Hughes added to it but McLeod’s shortie really had the place shaking.

▪ Interesting decision by Devils coach Lindy Ruff to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Game 3. An extra D could have been some insurance had Luke Hughes not been able to handle the big moment in the rookie’s first playoff start, but Hughes was fine and settled in quickly.

Watching big brother get the Devils started probably helped ease the nerves. Just a guess.

Hughes x2 for New Jersey

Jesper Fast’s hard hit on Ryan Graves during the second period of the Carolina Hurricanes’ Game 2 win over the New Jersey Devils didn’t knock Graves out of the game right away, but the defenseman didn’t play in the third period and is out for Sunday’s Game 3.

In his place, the Devils turned to rookie Luke Hughes, 19, the fourth pick in the 2021 draft and the younger brother of 21-year-old Devils star Jack Hughes. The younger Hughes, only one month removed from his college career at Michigan, is expected to make his playoff debut Sunday after practicing with the Devils’ first power-play unit on Saturday.

Hughes, called “Cool Hand Luke” by Devils coach Lindy Ruff, appeared in two regular-season games after the Wolverines’ season ended with a loss to Skyler Brind’Amour’s Quinnipiac team in the Frozen Four.

“It doesn’t seem like there are any jitters in his play,” Ruff said. “I think his legs can help.”

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High-flying Finn

Sebastian Aho went into Sunday’s game four points behind Saku Koivu for seventh place on the NHL’s all-time playoff scoring list among Finnish players. Aho has 55 points in 56 playoff games; Koivu had 59 in 80 games. (Really, Aho is already seventh — the NHL apparently counts Sweden’s Tomas Sandstrom, who was born in Finland.) Aho took a five-game point streak into Sunday.

While Koivu is clearly within reach, it’ll take a little more work to advance up the list. Valtteri Filippula is next with 86 points and the all-time Finn finisher is Jari Kurri, with 233 points in 200 postseason appearances.

A Hurricanes player can catch Kurri in one category, however: The Edmonton Oilers great holds the record for playoff goals by a Finnish player age 22 or younger with 15; the Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotaniemi has 12.

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