In a thrilling matchup on Friday night, the New Jersey Devils secured a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, showcasing a strong performance from defenceman Luke Hughes, who contributed a goal and an assist. Jacob Markstrom was solid in goal, making 29 saves, as the Devils extended their winning streak to three games and improved their record to six wins in their last seven outings.
The scoring opened with Eric Robinson finding the net for Carolina, but New Jersey quickly responded with goals from Ondrej Palat and Nico Hischier, the latter marking his team-leading 18th goal of the season. Despite Brent Burns equalizing for the Hurricanes early in the second period, the Devils took control with goals from Hughes and Dawson Mercer, solidifying their lead.
In other NHL action, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-2, with Mitch Marner scoring a hat trick in Todd McClellan's coaching debut for Detroit. The Columbus Blue Jackets triumphed over the Boston Bruins 6-2, highlighted by Sean Monahan's two goals in his 800th NHL game. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres secured a 6-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, thanks to Alex Tuch's hat trick.
The Minnesota Wild rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime, with Brock Faber scoring the decisive goal. The St. Louis Blues had a high-scoring affair against the Nashville Predators, winning 7-4, while the Colorado Avalanche defeated Utah 4-1 with Artturi Lehkonen netting a hat trick. Lastly, the Vegas Golden Knights came back from a deficit to win 6-3 against the San Jose Sharks, with key short-handed goals from Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel.
