Hurricanes 6, Devils 3: Seven Losses In Eight Games For New Jersey

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Tuomo Ruutu had a goal and three assists as the Carolina Hurricanes took a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at RBC Center.

Jeff Skinner and Sergei Samsonov each scored twice while Zac Dalpe notched the other goal for the Hurricanes, who have won three straight. Cam Ward stopped 25 shots in the win.

"That was a real good first period we had," said Carolina head coach Paul Maurice. "It's a work in progress to get everybody to do it consistently, but it worked out tonight and it's a good way to start the new year."

Rod Pelley, Travis Zajac and Patrik Elias each scored a goal for the Devils, who were coming off a win over Atlanta on Friday but have lost seven of their last eight.

Martin Brodeur started the game in net, but was pulled after eight minutes as he allowed three goals on seven shots. Johan Hedberg finished the contest between the pipes and stopped 15-of-18 shots.

It was all Carolina in the first period as the team scored the first four goals of the game in the frame to take command of the contest.

The first goal came 1:48 in on the power play as Joe Corvo threw a shot on net from the high slot that Ruutu tipped past Brodeur.

At the 4:28 mark, Skinner scored as he backhanded home a rebound off a Tim Gleason shot and Samsonov made it a 3-0 game at the eight-minute mark when he slipped home a rebound from the left side to chase Brodeur from the net.

Hedberg took over, but the Hurricanes continued to attack as Dalpe scored the first NHL goal of his career on a one-timer from the right circle with 6:18 left in the period.

"I didn't know what was going on cause there was alot of things going through my mind," said Dalpe about his goal. "I've worked hard to get up here and it's nice. I think my parents want the puck."

The Devils stemmed the bleeding with 3:08 to play in the frame when Pelley's turnaround shot from the right circle got past Ward and Zajac made it a 4-2 game 49 seconds into the second with his sixth goal of the year.

Samsonov's second goal of the game came at 8:42 of the second on a 5-on-3 when he jammed the puck home as it sat on the doorstep for a 5-2 advantage.

Elias made it a two-goal game 2:36 into the third, but New Jersey was unable to cut further into its deficit.

Skinner's second goal of the game came with 2:26 to play to account for the final score.

Carolina hosts Florida on Monday...New Jersey hosts Minnesota on Tuesday...The Devils took three of four over Carolina last season...The Devils' only winning streak of the season was a pair of wins over Washington and Calgary on November 22 and 24...New Jersey hasn't scored more than three goals in a game since its 5-0 win over Washington on November 22.

New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes: Devils Looking For Rare Win Streak

After ending 2010 with a rare win, the New Jersey Devils start 2011 with a chance to do something even rarer - put together a win streak.

The Devils will look for their second win in a row tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.

New Jersey, plagued by inconsistent play during the 2010 part of their schedule, could only string together wins once. That two-game winning streak came back on November 22-24, when the Devils defeated the Washington Capitals (5-0) and the Calgary Flames (2-1, SO). 

But that was under coach John MacLean, who couldn't get his team playing consistent hockey. Under interim coach Jacques Lemaire, the Devils found consistent play. Their defensive zone play improved, and the offense is generating more chances.

The improvement in both those areas led the Devils to a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers last night at the Prudential Center. Mark Fayne put the Devils ahead, 1-0, only 1:18 into the game. Jamie Langenbrunner extended the lead to 2-0 at 1:01 of the second period. With the score at 2-1, Ilya Kovalchuk stripped Brent Sopel at the Devils' blueline and scored on a breakaway, stretching the lead to 3-1 and icing the game.

The win was the first for Lemaire in his third stint as Devils' coach. He felt relieved to finally get in the win column.

"It's like my first win ever," Lemaire told reporters after the game. "Relief."

The Devils were looking forward to starting a new year.

"You always want to look forward," Kovalchuk said to Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. "You don't want to look back. You know 2010 wasn't the best (year) for me personally and I think for all of our team, so it can't be worse than that and 2011 will be much better."

The Devils will face a tough task tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes have won two straight, their most recent coming on Wednesday evening. In that game, Carolina blanked the Ottawa Senators, 4-0. Cam Ward stopped 37 shots and and a pair of goals from Zach Boychuk.

The Devils won three of four from the Hurricanes last season. Martin Brodeur, who will start tonight, recorded two shutouts against Carolina last season.