Johansson, Devils end Hurricanes' three-game winning streak

NEWARK, N.J. -- Marcus Johansson scored two goals, and the New Jersey Devils ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Prudential Center on Sunday.

Pavel Zacha scored, Nico Hischier had three assists and Keith Kinkaid made 32 saves for New Jersey (21-26-8).
"I think I've played pretty well most of this year, but I've gotten better these last few weeks," Johansson said. "I've created a lot of chances, and sometimes it helps to see a few pucks go in. That kind of takes the weight off your shoulders sometimes because you need to score to win hockey games, so I've been feeling better and better."
WATCH: [All Hurricanes vs. Devils highlights]
Dougie Hamilton and Teuvo Teravainen scored, and Petr Mrazek made 18 saves for Carolina (28-22-6), which went 1-for-5 on the power play and had a three-game winning streak end.

Johansson, who could become an unrestricted free agent July 1, scored his first game-winner as a member of the Devils in two seasons at 15:56 of the third period when he converted a pass from Jesper Bratt to make it 3-1.
"I think it was impressive to see how fast [Bratt] was there, but once he beat his guy I kind of knew the puck was coming so I just tried to get in position," Johansson said. "I think that goal was all [Bratt]; that's what he can do. He's so fast and he sees the game so well. That was a heck of a play."
Teravainen scored a power-play goal with 1:27 remaining in the third to make it 3-2.
Johansson scored his first of the game when he swept in a rebound from the slot at 19:03 of the first period to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.
"No excuse; we had the power plays," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We came out pretty good 5-on-5 and then they sucked the life out of us and they scored on the power play, and then we were behind 2-0 (in the first period) chasing the game.
"We weren't very good in the first period as a group, but really it was the power play for me."
Hamilton scored off a snap shot through a screen on a delayed penalty call 7:22 into the second period to pull the Hurricanes within 2-1. Hurricanes forward Nino Niederreiter interfered with Kinkaid to negate a goal by Sebastian Aho that would have tied the game 7:06 into the third.
Zacha scored his 10th goal off a one-timer from the right face-off circle on the power play at 11:35 of the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
"That was a great play and I went right to [Ryan Murphy] and told him it was a great play," Hischier said. "It's not easy to make that backhand pass through the middle, especially when there's sticks in the way, so it was a great play and a great finish."

They said it

"Every game is big. Right now, every game is the biggest game of the year, so we have to get ready for the next one. It's just a big game after a big game." -- Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen
"[Johansson] is a really smart player and so calm with the puck. He makes great decisions and sees passing lanes that not everybody sees, so when you give him the puck he's going to have that extra poise and make a great play." -- Devils center Nico Hischier

Need to know

Aho got his 100th NHL assist. He has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past nine games. ... Teravainen has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his past nine games and needs one point for 200 in the NHL. ... Niederreiter has nine points (six goals, three assists) in his past nine games. ... Murphy, who was chosen No. 12 in the 2011 NHL Draft and played five seasons for the Hurricanes, made his Devils debut after being acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Michael Kapla on Jan. 30. … Bratt has one goal and three assists in a four-game point streak. ... Hischier has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his past six games.

What's next

Hurricanes: At the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, FS-CR, NHL.TV)
Devils: At the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, MSG+, NHL.TV)