Kochetkov did settle down and gave the Hurricanes just what they needed, stopping the final 13 shots he faced in a 5-2 win.
Carolina leads the best-of-7 series 3-1 and will look to close it out in Game 5 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MAX, MSGSN, TBS, TVAS2, SN360).
"He just had to catch a couple of the first shots and get the confidence," Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov said. "He played great and you're going to see him playing really good for us."
It remains to be seen if Andersen will miss Game 5, but Kochetkov will be ready if called upon.
Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour was proud of the way his fourth-year goalie battled after Meier's goal.
"Well, can't ask for a tougher situation and then give up a dirtball goal, right?" Brind'Amour said. "That's the way to bounce back. I mean, that could have just crumbled in a minute and he just ... we know that about him, right? He's got a great ability to just kind of move on and get right back to it. I thought he played great after that. We didn't give up a ton, which was key, but when we did, he made a couple of good saves. And that's obviously what you need."
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe thought, in some ways, it was a lost opportunity against a goalie entering the game cold and making his first appearance of the postseason.
"We scored one, so in that sense, I think we capitalized early, kind of caught him looking cold and looking like he wasn't quite ready," Keefe said. "But I mean, they defend very well. They push you outside the dots and don't give any high-end chances. We weren't able to make the necessary plays to be able to generate more."
The win was big for Kochetkov, who was the workhorse during the regular season for the Hurricanes, due in large part to Andersen missing 39 games because of a knee injury that required surgery. Kochetkov finished 27-16-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average, .898 save percentage and two shutouts in 47 games, including 1-1-0 with a 3.07 GAA and .878 save percentage in two starts against New Jersey.
Andersen was given the nod at the start of the playoffs, though, and had been playing great up until his injury.
"I'm a little bit older now and I hope I am more ready," Kochetkov said. "Ready for practice, ready for game. If I don't play, maybe I have a chance. I just try to do what I can in practice and wait for my chance."
Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal hated to see Andersen leave the game but knows Kochetkov has played well when called upon all season.
"He's a capable goalie," Staal said. "He's been really good for us, and a big win for him and I'm sure his confidence. He got us moving forward (during the regular season) and tonight was no different. We've always been comfortable with either goalie.
"You'd love to have Freddie back as soon as you can, but 'Koch' did a really good job stepping in."
