RALEIGH, N.C. – Led by a pair of second-period strikes and Jackson Blake‘s first NHL goal in the third, the Carolina Hurricanes earned their first win of the 2024-25 regular season with a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

GAME SUMMARY | BOX SCORE | UPCOMING GAMES

Blake’s maiden marker became the eventual game-winner in the final frame as the rookie deflected a Dmitry Orlov shot from the point past Jacob Markstrom to extend what was a one-goal Carolina lead at the time.

New Jersey’s Jack Hughes opened the scoring in the second period following a tight-checking opening stanza, but the Canes erased that deficit through Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere to take a 2-1 lead into the third. Jarvis’ tying tally arrived at 10:55 as he spun and fired a shot from the high slot into the top corner, while Gostisbehere beat the buzzer with a final-minute missile from the point.

After Nico Hischier brought the Devils back within a goal following Blake’s tally, Sebastian Aho put the game on ice with an empty-netter to seal Carolina’s victory.

Pyotr Kochetkov turned aside a solid 23 of 25 shots to pick up the win between the pipes in his regular-season debut.

Stats & Standouts

• After being outshot 23-21 against Tampa last Friday, Carolina responded with a more Canes-like offensive showing, peppering 31 shots to New Jersey’s 25.
• It wasn’t always a busy night for Pyotr Kochetkov, but the Canes’ young goaltender turned in a 23-save effort that featured a number of high-danger denials.
• The early returns on Carolina’s new defensive duo of Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker continue to be positive. Rod Brind’Amour noted the importance of that pairing coming together, noting that “we need everybody, but that’s a big hole we had to fill and they’re looking good right now.”
• As Blake netted goal #1, a handful of Hurricanes logged milestones of their own. Sebastian Aho scored in his 600th game, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi picked up an assist in his 400th and Dmitry Orlov posted his 300th career point with a helper on Blake’s GWG.

Sebastian Aho capped a @Canes win and his 600th career game with his first goal of the season. #NHLStats: https://t.co/ZdWdMPEO0C pic.twitter.com/dKjxGyYjqb

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 16, 2024

They Said It…

Rod Brind’Amour’s assessment of the win…

“That was solid, start to finish. It was really the way we needed to play, or need to play, and that we’re capable of, against a really good team. So that was good to see.”

Shayne Gostisbehere elaborating on tonight versus the team’s first game last Friday…

“It’s just good to play our way, play our system and play it perfectly. Obviously, we’ve got to clean some things up, but that (shows) what we could do out there.”

Jackson Blake after his special moment…

“I was just hoping (the first goal) would come. I didn’t care when or how, just that it would go in for me. Fortunately, tonight it did… It’s something I’ll never forget. It’s a pretty special feeling.”

Seth Jarvis reacting to Blake’s first NHL goal…

“(My first NHL goal) was definitely not as cool as his, but geez, that was special. It’s fun to watch guys live out their dream like that. You could tell by his celebration that he was pretty excited. It was cool to watch and it couldn’t happen for a better guy.”

What’s Next?

The Canes are scheduled to be off on Wednesday and then return to practice on Thursday. After the skate, they’ll travel to Pennsylvania to start their six-game road trip.

Next Game: Friday, October 18 at Pittsburgh

Next Home Game: Thursday, October 31 | HALLOWEEN NIGHT | Tickets | Parking

Blaker ❤️'s the Caniacs pic.twitter.com/HJ0UgoVvAY

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 16, 2024