A terrible start doomed the New Jersey Devils last season, when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1995-96. Intent on avoiding another poor start, the Devils took a step in the right direction Monday afternoon with a solid 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes that evened New Jersey's record at 1-1. Ilya Kovalchuk scored the deciding goal and added two assists while Johan Hedberg made 24 saves.
