Nikolaj Ehlers leads Hurricanes to comfortable win vs. Devils

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist to lead the host Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Jackson Blake, captain Jordan Staal, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also connected for the Hurricanes (46-20-6, 98 points), who have won four of their last five and kept pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning (96 points) for first overall in the Eastern Conference. Taylor Hall had two assists and Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots.

Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored for the Devils (37-33-2, 76 points), who had won five of their last six. Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves.

Carolina scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.

Ehlers' power-play goal with 9:50 left tied it 1-1. He scored on a wrist shot from the left circle. Blake then gave the Hurricanes the lead with 6:12 remaining in the middle period when he skated from deep in the left circle, back towards the blue line and then to the inside edge of the left circle and beat Markstrom.

Staal made it 3-1 with 4:47 left in the period on a one-handed tip of Ehlers' pass.

Carolina had a 15-5 shots advantage in the second period.

Bussi made a big save on New Jersey captain Nico Hischier on a shot from the slot in the middle of the third period.

Gostisbehere scored with 4:35 left when he snapped in a shot from the high slot off the rush after a turnover by the Devils.

Jarvis got his 30th goal into an empty net and short-handed with 2:20 left and Dadonov recorded his first marker as a Devil with 24 seconds remaining.

Meier gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first period. Off the rush and from the bottom of the left circle,, he converted a cross-crease pass from Dawson Mercer. It was Meier's third goal in three games and fourth in his last five.

Mercer played in his 400th consecutive contest.