RALEIGH, N.C. — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday evening, rookie Jackson Blake netted his first goal in the NHL, contributing to the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov showcased a strong performance with 23 saves, marking his debut for the season as the Hurricanes sought to bounce back from an earlier loss to Tampa Bay.

Alongside Blake, Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sebastian Aho each found the back of the net for Carolina as they capitalized on the opportunity presented by the Devils’ recent struggles. The defeat for New Jersey halted their winning streak at two games, despite Jake Hughes and Nico Hischier scoring for the Devils. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom faced 30 shots on goal throughout the match.

Blake, a 21-year-old talent from the University of North Dakota who was selected by Carolina at 109th overall in the 2021 draft, redirected a shot from Dmitry Orlov to score at 10:16 of the third period, extending the Hurricanes’ lead to 3-1. Earlier, Hughes had opened the scoring for New Jersey just 1:16 into the second period, marking him as the 10th goal scorer for the team this season.

In terms of overall gameplay, the Devils appeared to struggle with energy in the latter part of the match, having recently played back-to-back games, including a home win against Utah. Setbacks continued as they managed a total of 24 shots against a resilient Hurricanes defense, compared to the previous three games where they exceeded 30 shots.

Key moments unfolded as the Hurricanes effectively managed a third-period penalty following Hischier’s power-play goal, which was crucial in maintaining their lead. It’s noteworthy that Carolina had conceded two power-play goals during their season opener against Tampa Bay, showing improvement in their defensive strategy.

Another point of interest involved Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who assisted on Gostisbehere’s crucial go-ahead goal, marking his 100th career point in exactly 400 NHL games played. Meanwhile, Sebastian Aho celebrated his milestone of participating in 600 games, adding to the excitement by scoring into an empty net as the game concluded.

Looking ahead, the Devils are set to face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, while the Hurricanes will commence a challenging six-game road trip starting Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.