Hurricanes score 5 straight goals, overcome Devils

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Nikolaj Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and an assist for the Carolina Hurricanes, who scored five straight to overcome the New Jersey Devils 5-2 at Lenovo Center on Saturday.

Jackson Blake, Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis each scored, Taylor Hall had two assists, and Brandon Bussi made 17 saves for the Hurricanes (46-20-6), who have won four of their past five games and remain at the top of the Metropolitan Division with 98 points.

“It’s all about making the (saves) you're supposed to – and if you can get a couple timely ones,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “That’s what really happened in this game. There were a few that could have changed the outcome of the game. He was solid. That’s what we need.”

Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov each scored, and Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves for the Devils (37-33-2), who had won two in a row. New Jersey finished its five-game road trip 3-2-0 and is 11 points out of the second wild-card spot in the East.

“Certainly, we were right there in the game,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Until the penalty we took, I liked our second period. We couldn’t get a lot of pucks clean to the net, but we were on their half of the ice. We just didn’t have the stamina or the energy to stay with it.”

The Devils took a 1-0 lead at 17:06 of the first period when Dawson Mercer took a stretch pass down the right side from Nico Hischier and fed Meier for a tap-in near the left post.

Ehlers tied the game 1-1 at 10:10 of the second period with a power-play goal. He got the puck from Alexander Nikishin at the left dot, firing a snap shot off the bar on Markstrom's glove side and in.

“That’s a bit of a theme, and it’s going to be a big part of the growth and development of this group,” Devils forward Connor Brown said. “A goal on the power play, I mean, we can’t spiral. One mistake can’t lead into 10. You can’t go from up 1-0 to down 3-1.”

The goal gave Ehlers 60 points in his 72nd game as a Hurricane, the fifth time he has reached that mark. The former Winnipeg Jets forward signed a six-year, $51 million contract with Carolina as a free agent on July 3, 2025.

“I’ve been getting more and more comfortable here,” Ehlers said. “I’m feeling really good, playing with some great players. I think, right now, it’s my attacking mindset and shooting the puck a little more.”

Blake put Carolina ahead 2-1 at 13:48, stick-handling around New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to put a wrist shot between Markstrom and the left post.

The Hurricanes extended their lead to 3-1 at 15:13. Ehlers passed from the right side board to the slot, where Staal reached in to redirect the puck for his 19th goal of the season.

“I got it pretty quick and I saw ‘Jordo’ skate down,” Ehlers said. “I was trying to throw it into an area where he could get it. It was a little too far ahead of him, but it was a nice tip, so it worked out great.”

Bussi, who improved to 27-6-1 in his first NHL season, has won two in a row after losing three straight. He was at his best in the third period with seven saves, including a glove save on Hischier from the left circle at 10:35.

“I feel good right now,” Bussi said. “The last stretch was a combination of some bad bounces, and I didn’t play as well as I would have liked. But, if I keep playing the way I have the last two games, I’m going to continue to have more success.”

Gostisbehere made it 4-1 at 15:25 of the third period. He skated into the Hurricanes' offensive zone, dragging the puck and changing the point of release before putting a snap shot over the glove of Markstrom from the slot.

Seth Jarvis scored short-handed on an empty net at 17:40 to make it 5-1.

Dadonov scored his first of the season, putting a wrist shot past Bussi from the left circle on a 2-on-1, with 24 seconds remaining for the 5-2 final.

NOTES: Mercer played in his 400th consecutive game to begin his NHL career. He can tie Travis Zajac (2006-11) for New Jersey’s all-time consecutive games-played record when the Devils host the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. … Gostisbehere returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. … Jarvis reached the 30-goal mark for the third straight season.