In their 24th of 48 regular-season games in this 2012-13 season, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-3. Jiri Tlusty had a three-point night with two goals and an assist, Alexander Semin had a three-point night with a power-play goal and two assists and Chris Terry notched his first-career goal in his NHL debut.
“They came ready to play, and we had a great effort from everyone tonight,” said head coach Kirk Muller. “We were able to use four lines and six D, which was great.”
In a span of 24 hours, Terry earned his first NHL recall and made his NHL debut. He topped it off by scoring his first-career goal, as he became the first Hurricane to score in his debut since Brad Fast did so on April 4, 2004 in a 6-6 tie against Florida. On the scoring play, he was able to coral a bouncing puck before sliding it five-hole on Johan Hedberg. “It was a bouncing puck. I knew he was down, and I was just trying to make a move. After that, I don’t really know where it went in. I just remember standing there and watching it trickle across the red line,” he said. “It’s kind of a blur for me after I scored. I didn’t really know what to do, but it was definitely an exciting moment.”
Terry’s parents and sister were among the 18,680 at PNC Arena to witness the 23-year-old’s NHL debut. Muller was impressed with what he saw. “That’s a goal-scoring goal. That’s the hands that he has and the knack he has,” he said of Terry’s goal. “I’m very happy with his game, and I thought he put a great effort in tonight.”
After suffering from an illness, Dan Ellis made 31 saves in his fourth win of the season. He also recorded an assist on Tlusty’s first goal, a stretch pass to find Semin at the far blue line. It was the goaltender’s fourth-career helper and his first since Dec. 17, 2011 with Anaheim in a 5-3 loss to Winnipeg. “He’s been playing well this year,” Muller said of Ellis. “He was sick, he came back and he played strong here tonight.”
The Hurricanes were one-for-three on the power play tonight, as Semin netted a beauty of a goal in the first period. With his head up along the near boards, Corvo found Semin alone in front of Hedberg. Semin, who posted his fourth multi-point game in his last six games and seventh this season, deked Hedberg before dumping the puck in the back of the net. The key to the power-play success? Simplicity – a pass, a shot and a goal.
Carolina netted three goals in the middle frame, marking the seventh time they’ve potted three or more goals in one period this season; they’ve yet to lose a game when doing so. The team has won five of their last six games, and they are averaging 4.17 goals per game in that stretch.
Next week, the Hurricanes will play three straight divisional games: two against Washington and one against Tampa Bay. The team holds a four-point lead in the division, but they aren’t looking too far into the future. “I think we focus so much better when we take it one game at a time,” Muller said.