Hurricanes defeat Devils 5-2, lead series 3-1

Andrei Svechnikov recorded his second career playoff hat trick, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils and securing a 3-1 lead in their first-round NHL playoff series. Svechnikov scored in the opening minute of both the first and second periods and completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal late in the third. Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns also contributed goals for Carolina, while Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake each had two assists. Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen left the game early in the second period due to injury after a collision with Timo Meier and was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov, who made 14 saves. For New Jersey, Nico Hischier and Meier scored, but their efforts fell short as Carolina controlled the game. The Hurricanes will have the opportunity to clinch the series at home in Game 5.