NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes looked like they might steal Game 3 and send New Jersey to the brink of elimination.
Instead, the decimated Devils defense got a boost from an unlikely source.
Simon Nemec carried the puck into the Carolina zone near the beginning of the second overtime, dangled around Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and found a way to trickle a shot through a seemingly impenetrable Frederik Andersen to give the Devils a 3-2 win in Friday’s Game 3 and halve Carolina’s series lead to 2-1.
“We hung in there, but we were just hanging in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the loss.
New Jersey carried play for most of the night, including in the more than 22 minutes of overtime when the home team outshot Carolina 12-3.
But Andersen (34 saves) continued his solid play in the series, making countless big saves throughout the night as Carolina struggled to find its footing.
“Freddie obviously kept us in that game,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said.
So did Carolina’s special teams, which was close to perfect on a night when the Hurricanes’ 5-on-5 play was lacking.
The penalty kill snuffed out all five of New Jersey’s chances, allowing just four shots on goal in 10 minutes shorthanded.
And the power play led Carolina’s rally from a two-goal third period deficit to force overtime.
After being blanked by Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom (25 saves) for the first two periods, the Hurricanes broke through with the man advantage.
With Carolina down 2-0 and New Jersey defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler in the box for interference, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis took a final rush up the ice before the power play expired. The duo passed the puck between each other four times, with the last ending up on Jarvis’ stick for a quick shot that beat Markstrom to halve New Jersey’s lead.
“The was the good part of our game, but it was all for naught,” Brind’Amour said of the power play.
Then after a suffocating shift, led by Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Devils defenseman Brett Pesce ended his more-than-two-minute shift by sailing the puck out of play.
Carolina needed just a dozen seconds to score on that power play, with Andrei Svechnikov firing a shot that got Markstrom out of position, then dug out the rebound and got it to Aho, who fired it into the open net at 12:20 of the third to tie the game.
Andersen — who has stopped 82 of 87 shots in the series — made save after save in overtime until Nemec ended it.
The same was true early in the night, as for the second straight game, the Devils came out with a strong start and exited the first period with a lead.
New Jersey captain Nico Hischier got the Devils the early lead, getting behind the Carolina defense and beating Andersen at 16:11 of the opening period.
The combination of Carolina’s penalty kill and Andersen kept the Hurricanes in the game in the second period.
At the midway point of the second, Dmitry Orlov was called for interference, and the Devils’ power play kept the puck in the Hurricanes’ end for the full two minutes. But Staal, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns kept New Jersey at bay.
Then at 13:54 of the middle frame, Andersen continued to haunt Timo Meier, making a glove save from his belly to keep the Devils’ lead at one.
“He was great,” Brind’Amour said of his goalie.
Andersen made another big save early in the third, getting across on Jesper Bratt to deny a chance. But Dawson Mercer found the loose puck and slid it past the goal line at 78 seconds of the third to give New Jersey what felt like a kill shot.
The power play clawed Carolina back into the game, but a lack of pressure at 5-on-5 — and New Jersey getting two overtime power plays to the Hurricanes’ zero — led to Nemec getting the Devils back into the series.
“It sucks,” Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield said. “But it’s hockey, and we’ve all been here. … Starting next game, we expect to come out better.”
Notes: New Jersey defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic left the game after playing six minutes. … Devils defenseman Brian Dumoulin played a game-high 36:29. … Slavin played a team-high 33:23 for the Hurricanes. … Aho finished with a goal and an assist. … Nemec and Jackson Blake led all players with five shots on goal.
