NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored the shootout winner and Antti Raanta made 24 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes edged the New Jersey Devils 5-4 for a franchise-best 11th straight win.
The first-place Hurricanes are 15-0-2 in their last 17 games and haven’t lost since Dec. 6 when they fell 4-3 at Anaheim in overtime. Carolina’s previous defeat in regulation time was Nov. 23.
Raanta improved to 10-2-2 this season. The 33-year-old Finnish netminder had shutouts in his previous two games at home, 4-0 against Florida and 3-0 over Chicago.
Both goaltenders made sterling saves in overtime including New Jersey’s Mackenzie Blackwood denying Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin on a breakaway after the teams combined for five goals in a wild third period after Carolina led 2-1 after the second. Blackwood made 43 saves.
With the team’s playing four-on-four, New Jersey’s Jesper Bratt scored his second of the game and 14th of the season from between the circles at 13:48 of the third. That put New Jersey ahead 4-3 but Carolina’s Martin Necas knotted the contest for a fourth time with a power-play goal at 15:32.
Hurricanes forward Derek Stepan had scored his second goal of the contest and fourth of the season at 8:04 of the third to give Carolina a 3-2 lead but Devils captain Nico Hischier knotted the score 34 seconds later with his 16th goal.
Bratt had tied the game 2-2 at 6:15 of the third, beating Raanta from the left circle after Carolina entered the third with a 2-1 lead thanks to Sebastian Aho’s shorthanded goal late in the second.
Aho intercepted a mishandled clearing attempt by Blackwood and easily scored his 12th goal into the vacant net at 18:14.
Stepan had scored his first goal eight minutes into the second, finishing off a two-on-one rush with Stefan Noesen to break a scoreless tie. The 32-year-old former Rangers forward is in his second season with Carolina.
New Jersey’s Jack Hughes tied the contest at 16:18 of the second, sliding a backhand past Raanta for his team-leading 21st goal. Dawson Mercer and Erik Haula assisted.
The Devils were coming off a 4-2 road win at Pittsburgh on Friday.
New Jersey is 2-7-2 in their last 11.
NOTES: The victory was the 199th win for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. … Carolina won the first meeting this season, 4-1 at home on Dec. 20. The teams meet again Jan. 10 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and March 12 in Newark … The Devils were without injured defenseman John Marino and New Jersey also scratched forward Alexander Holtz and defensemen Tyler Wotherspoon and Nikita Okhotiuk … The Hurricanes scratched defenseman Dylan Coghlan.
Up Next:
Devils: Visit Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.
Hurricanes: Visit New York Rangers on Tuesday.
