Jesper Fast was hanging his head after shooting high on a wide-open net earlier in Game 5.
But he didn’t miss on an overtime deflection as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 to clinch their second-round series.
They became the first NHL team to reach the conference finals, reaching for the first time since 2019. The Hurricanes will face the Toronto Maple Leafs or Florida Panthers, who lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 Friday in Toronto.
Defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns scored for the Hurricanes, who twice overcame one-goal deficits to beat the Devils. New Jersey got goals from Dawson Mercer and Timo Meier.
The highs and lows of Jesper Fast
Paul Stastny had set up a perfect opportunity for Fast in the first period, but he hit the puck with the top of his blade and it went over the net.
But with Carolina on a power play because of a delay of game penalty to New Jersey’s Jonas Siegenthaler, Jesperi Kotkaniemi wristed a shot toward the net and quickly deflected it past Devils goalie Akira Schmid at 7:09.
It was Fast’s second overtime goal of the playoffs after he won Game 2 vs. the New York Islanders in the first round.
What’s next for the Devils?
Essentially, they just need to remember their first playoff appearance in five years and build on it. They looked strong in finishing off the New York Rangers but were overwhelmed at times by the Hurricanes. This is a rising team that already set franchise records for wins and points. Coach Lindy Ruff, a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, is in need of a contract extension.
Lots of other contract work is ahead in the offseason. Restricted free agents include trade deadline acquisition Meier, who’s due a $10 million qualifying offer, and Jesper Bratt, who ranked second on the team with 32 goals in the regular season but had one in the playoffs.
Unrestricted free agents are Erik Haula, Miles Woods, Tomas Tatar, Ryan Graves and Damon Severson.
Schmid emerged in the playoffs and with Vitek Vanecek signed for another two years, restricted free agent McKenzie Blackwood could be a cap casualty.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes oust Devils as Jesper Fast scores in overtime in Game 5