Devils’ Tomas Tatar receives max fine for high-sticking Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho

Tatar swung his stick toward the head of Aho after the Carolina forward seemed to cross-check him with the puck out of play. He received a minor penalty on the ice.

The incident between Tatar and Aho was just one wrinkle in a wild contest that the Devils claimed by a final score of 8-4. New Jersey chased Hurricanes starting goaltender Frederik Andersen after scoring four times in just 21 minutes of game time before scoring another four goals past backup Pyotr Kochetkov, who made his 2023 postseason debut.

Timo Meier and Nico Hischier notably scored their first goals of this year’s playoffs, while superstar Jack Hughes exploded for two goals and four points. Vitek Vanecek won in his first start since Game 2 of the Devils’ series with the Rangers after stopping 26 of the Hurricanes’ 30 shots on goal.

The route reignites New Jersey’s chances after losing by an 11-2 combined score in the two-game visit to Raleigh at the start of the series.

If the Devils are to come back from a 2-0 deficit for the second consecutive series, they will need better play from Tatar. Aside from his hot-headed penalty during Game 3, the 32-year-old Slovak has done little of note during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Though Tatar enjoyed his sixth career 20-goal regular season in 2022-2023, his goal in Game 7 against New York is his only point in 10 games during the postseason.

Tatar will hope that in Thursday’s Game 4 at the Prudential Center, he can improve on his surprisingly pedestrian playoff record (7G, 13P in 50GP) and stay out of the penalty box.