Recap: New Jersey Devils 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (SO) - Parenteau powers Devils to home-and-home sweep

The New Jersey Devils continued their season-opening point streak Tuesday night at Prudential Center, taking a 3-2 shootout win to sweep the home and home series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

P.A. Parenteau put the Devils up 1-0 at the 16:50 mark of the 1st period with his fifth goal of the season. The Devils applied a tremendous amount of offensive pressure in the first period, outshooting the Hurricanes 19-8. Cam Ward, under siege all night, kept the Canes in the game with 18 saves in the first period, but the Canes were unable to maintain any sustained pressure in front of Devils goaltender Cory Schneider.

Jordan Staal recorded his fourth goal of the season on the power play to even the score 4:23 into the second period, off helpers from Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin. The Hurricanes then took a 2-1 lead twelve minutes later from an unlikely source. Klas Dahlbeck (!), returning to the lineup after the injury to Justin Faulk, recorded his first goal as a Hurricane to put the Canes on top heading into the second intermission.

At 3:51 of the third period, a familiar narrative reappeared to tie the game again. New Jersey rookie Nick Lappin scored his first career goal to knot it back at 2 apiece. Carolina challenged for goaltender interference but the call was not overturned and the goal stood.

Carolina controlled play in the later part of the third period and in most of overtime, forcing Schneider to make key saves late. Ward made a stellar save on Travis Zajac with only seconds remaining in overtime to force a shootout.

Parenteau led off the scoring in the shootout, beating Ward glove side. Jeff Skinner then lost the puck on an attempt to even the score, and both goaltenders exchanged solid saves on Slavin and Jacob Josefson in the second round. Taylor Hall came through with the insurance goal that ended the shootout and gave the Devils their fifth win in six home games this season, a shootout loss to the Blackhawks the only thing keeping them from an undefeated start at home.

Ward ended the night with 39 saves on 41 Devils shots, plus the two goals against in the shootout. Schneider, picking up where Keith Kinkaid left off on Sunday, saved 31 Hurricanes shots out of a total of 33 against.

The Canes now return home to start a five-game homestand Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.

Rank The Performances

Here’s your chance to weigh in on how you think the team performed tonight. Upvote the players you think played well and downvote the ones who didn’t.