The Carolina Hurricanes began their season with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at Lenovo Center on Thursday. The game featured strong performances from several players, including K’Andre Miller, who scored his first two goals with the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game when Taylor Hall redirected a shot from Shayne Gostisbehere. After the Devils tied the game before the midway point, Miller restored the Hurricanes’ lead just over a minute later. The Devils tied the game again before the end of the second period.
In the third period, Miller scored again to give Carolina another lead, but New Jersey responded to tie the game once more. With less than three minutes remaining in regulation, Seth Jarvis deflected a pass from Sebastian Aho to put the Hurricanes ahead for good. Jarvis added an empty-net goal, and Eric Robinson scored in the final minute to secure the victory.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen made 19 saves on 22 shots in his season debut for Carolina.
Miller and Jarvis became the first pair of Hurricanes or Whalers teammates to score multiple goals in a season opener. They are also among only five players in team history since relocation to accomplish this feat. Miller is just the third defenseman in franchise history to score twice in his debut with the team.
Nikolaj Ehlers made his debut for Carolina, recording two shots and two hits while playing more than 19 minutes. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin earned his first regular-season point with an assist on Hall’s opening goal.
The Lenovo Center was sold out for a record 118th consecutive time, with attendance reaching 18,404 despite ongoing renovations.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on his team’s resilience: “I love the fact that we didn’t hang our heads. Even when they kept tying it up, and we’re playing pretty well and had plenty of chances, we just kept moving forward. It was a good first step, for sure.”
Brind’Amour also praised Miller’s performance: “I thought he was exceptional. Take the goals away, even, he was impactful. He hadn’t played a game for how many months? He stepped right in and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Obviously, we’re pretty excited to have him.”
Miller spoke about his adjustment: “Obviously, there’s some adjustments and in-game stuff that I was just trying to figure out on the go. I didn’t have any preseason games, so this was my first real look with the team. Once I got adjusted and found the speed of the game, I felt great. It was fun.”
Jarvis highlighted the team’s conditioning: “We pride ourselves on our third period. I think a lot of that has to do with our conditioning; we’re a very well-conditioned team. By the time the third period rolls around, I think we can wear teams down with how we play. I think it was pretty evident tonight. They kind of got back in the game, but we did a good job of shutting them out after that and coming back with our own goals.”
The Hurricanes will hold an optional practice on Friday before facing the Philadelphia Flyers at home on Saturday.
