The New Jersey Devils somehow came out with a victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. While it took tenacity to make the comeback in the third period, there was a lot of luck involved as well.
During this crazy New Jersey Devils season, one would think fans would have all the faith in the world in the third period. Still, when a team looks as bad as the Devils did at times, hope can be waining. They couldn’t hit a pass in the second half of the first period, and it caused them to go down going into intermission.
Things changed in the second, but the Devils still made some serious mistakes. Goalie Keith Kinkaid was able to bail them out on multiple occasions to keep them in the game. There were multiple breakaways and 2-on-1s that didn’t end in goals.
Now, where the Devils got lucky is in the Carolina Hurricanes missed chances. On one play, Jeff Skinner had Kinkaid absolutely beat. He had a wide open net outside of a sprawling goalie. Instead of lifting the puck even a foot, he tried to slide it in the net. Kinkaid was able to get his stick on it and tip it wide.
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Carolina had another beautiful opportunity just a few minutes later, but Brock McGinn threw a breakaway chance into Kinkaid’s pads.
The Hurricanes had ample opportunities, but just played their way out of chances. On one of the Devils power plays, they had a 2-on-1 with just Kyle Palmieri back. Instead of taking a shot, they tried for the perfect pass and Palmieri was able to block it with his leg. It’s another example of an opportunity lost for the Hurricanes.
The Devils needed this game. There aren’t too many games the Devils can blow, so every win counts. This win gives them a three point lead on the Florida Panthers, and puts them three points behind Columbus and two points behind Philadelphia. This come-from-behind win turns an absolute devastating loss to massive two points in the standings. I guess it is better to be lucky than good.