RALEIGH — Jackson Blake experienced all the highs and lows of the NHL in his third career game.
With the Hurricanes up two goals in the third period, Blake watched from the penalty box as the visiting Devils scored a 5-on-3 goal to cut Carolina’s lead to one with just under five minutes left in regulation.
“It’s not fun, the walk the shame back to the bench there,” the 21-year-old rookie said.
Carolina, however, killed off the second penalty and held on for a 4-2 win over the visiting Devils on Thursday at Lenovo Center.
The game-winning goal? That belonged to Blake, whose insurance marker on a drive-by tip through the slot at 10:16 of the third ended up being the difference, thanks to the power play goal Nico Hischier had scored while Blake was serving his tripping penalty.
After getting in on the forecheck to help disrupt the Devils’ defense, Blake headed toward the front of the net right as Dmitry Orlov wristed a shot from the left point. The puck glanced off the shaft of Blake’s stick and went past Jacob Markstrom (29 saves) for his first career NHL goal.
“I don’t even remember it already,” said Blake, who earned his way onto the roster in training camp after being a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season. “It’s pretty blacked out after that, really. I saw Orly come give me a big hug, so that was pretty special.”
The moment wasn’t lost on Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, whose team got its first win of the season after dropping its season opener with a lackluster performance Friday against Tampa Bay.
“You love to see that,” Brind’Amour said. “You kind of forget sometimes how emotional the game can be and how much it means. Like I said after (in the locker room), no one’s gonna remember this game, but he will. And that was a great moment for him.”
It capped a night during which the Hurricanes were the better team but still had to scratch and claw for two points.
Carolina dominated much of the first period — including having a 6-0 high-danger chance advantage, according to NaturalStatTrick.com — but were tied 0-0 after 20 minutes.
The Devils capitalized early in the second period.
After the Hurricanes lost possession in the offensive zone, New Jersey counterattacked. Jack Hughes entered the zone and changed lanes, creating space against Carolina defenseman Brent Burns, and snapped a shot past an inadvertent Sebastian Aho screen and through Kochetkov’s five-hole to give the Devils a 1-0 lead just 76 seconds into the middle frame.
“Just talent,” Brind’Amour said of the former first overall pick’s goal. “Just tip your hat. You’re not gonna do much about that.”
Carolina, however, finally started getting rewarded for its efforts.
Seth Jarvis got Carolina on the board with his first goal of the season, battling through a pair of Devils’ sticks in the slot, spinning and shooting the puck over the glove of Markstrom to tie the game 1-1 just past the midway point of regulation.
“It was just a matter of time before we started capitalizing,” Jarvis said.
Then, with time running out in the second period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi won a puck battle in the corner against two New Jersey players and kicked the puck to Martin Necas, who popped into the right circle and passed to Shayne Gostisbehere in the top of the slot.
The defenseman’s wrist shot cleanly beat a drifting Markstrom to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with 36.9 seconds remaining in the second.
“I think it was their guy who was screening it more than anything,” Gostisbehere said. “They kind of like slid together. I just pulled it around and shot the other way.”
Blake’s goal gave the Hurricanes the cushion they needed, and Pyotr Kochetkov — making his first start of the season — stopped 23 shots to improve to 5-2-0 in seven career regular season games against the Devils.
The win sends the Hurricanes on their annual State Fair road trip with a victory. The six games away from Raleigh start Friday in Pittsburgh, followed by a trip to St. Louis before four games in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Carolina next plays at home on Halloween.
“We all played with a chip on our shoulder. … I think that’s why we had success tonight,” Blake said.
Notes: Aho, who had an empty-net goal with 1:36 remaining, played in his 600th career NHL game, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi played in his 400th. … Gostisbehere had five shots on goal, matching the high he had in his first stint with Carolina in 2023. … Stefan Noesen, in his first game against the Hurricanes since signing with New Jersey in the offseason, finished with no shots on goal and a minus-2. … Former Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton was minus-3. … Former Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce did not play due to injury and has not yet suited up for the Devils.
