Svechnikov scores 3 goals as Hurricanes beat Devils 5-2 to take 3-1 series lead

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored three goals and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Jaccob Slavin also scored for the Hurricanes, who bounced back after a 3-2 loss in two overtimes two nights earlier. Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake each had two assists.

“Your best players have to be your best players. They have to be at this time of year,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Svechnikov. “Obviously he's on the scoresheet, so that's huge, but he had five or six shots, he was around it and if you want to be successful you have to get those contributions.”

Frederik Andersen stopped six of the seven shots he faced before leaving early in the second period due to an apparent injury. Pyotr Kochetkov came on and finished with 14 saves.

“When you lose your starting goalie it’s never a good feeling,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. ”Guys kept moving forward, stuck with the game plan and found a way to grind it out."

Timo Meier had a goal and an assist, and Nico Hischier also scored for the Devils. Jacob Markstrom had 24 saves.

“They were better," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. "On top of us way more. We were on our heels. They defend very well. … We weren’t able to elevate our chances.”

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Devils were without defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon for the third straight game, and also didn't have Johnathan Kovacevic, who left after one period of Game 3.

Burns fired a shot from the right circle that Markstrom stopped but the puck dropped and rolled between the goalie's pads and across the line to push Carolina's lead to 4-2 with 5:46 left in the third.

Svechnikov then finished his second playoff hat trick with an empty-netter with 3:17 remaining. It was his fourth of the series and second into an empty net.

With the Hurricanes on a power play that carried over from the final minute of the first period, Jarvis sent a shot from the right circle that hit the shaft of Svechnikov’s stick, breaking it, and deflecting the puck past Markstrom at 42 seconds of the second to push the lead to 3-0.

“I liked our first shift (of the second period), but then we turned the puck over, they sling it at the net and it went in,” Keefe said. "Tough to find your way out (being down 3-0). We made a game of it but it wasn’t enough.”

The Devils got on the board a little more than two minutes later. Meier sent a pass in front from the end boards that went off Ondrej Palat's stick, but Hischier fired it past Andersen from between the circles.

Andersen left the game at 4:19 of the middle period after he was knocked down by Meier.

About 3:15 later, Meier got the puck low on the right side near the boards, turned and fired a shot that beat Kochetkov through the five-hole on the second shot he faced to pull the Devils to 3-2.

Svechnikov got the Hurricanes on the scoreboard as he fired a shot from the top of the right circle through traffic that beat Markstrom.

Slavin made it 2-0 at 9:47 as he blocked a clearing attempt by Stefan Noesen on the left side, passed the puck off the side boards to himself, skated up and beat Markstrom over his right shoulder from a sharp angle.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov makes a save during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, left, is helped by a trainer after being hit by New Jersey Devils' Timo Meier during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sean Walker, left, hits New Jersey Devils' Paul Cotter during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin, right, celebrates his goal with Jesperi Kotkaniemi during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen deflects a shot during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New Jersey Devils' Ondrej Palat, left, and Carolina Hurricanes' Jesperi Kotkaniemi compete for the puck during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom defends the goal during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven, center, brings the puck around the net as New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, right, and Dennis Cholowski look on during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New Jersey Devils' Timo Meier, second from left, celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, right, makes a save as Sebastian Aho, top left, hits New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier, bottom left, during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37), center, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series against the New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, third from left, celebrates his goal with teammates as New Jersey Devils Brett Pesce, right, looks on during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round series, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)