How Game 3 will be won: Keys for Hurricanes, Devils

Based on the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Devils clearly have them where they want them.

The Devils lost the first two games to the New York Rangers and then rallied to win the series in seven games. A few reversals of fortunes are needed after Games 1 and 2 if they do it again.

“We have to wash it down and move on,” Devils winger Miles Wood said. .

For Hurricane, the series could end if it continues to excel in some areas.

The key to Game 3 is: Advanced stats courtesy of Stathletes.

How demons gather

take back the hustle

It’s safe to say that Nico Hisie wasn’t happy with his team’s efforts in the first two games against Carolina.

“We should be really pissed off right now,” the Devils captain said after Game 2.

What annoyed him the most? A team that dug and shattered a series win against their archival, especially compared to the Hurricanes, didn’t have a shred of that hustle.

“It’s certainly frustrating. We have to play harder. I think we have a lot of skill here, but skill means nothing in the playoffs,” Histier said.

It was no secret that the Devils were fighting a different fight than the Hurricanes and Rangers. They went from being hunters shutting down New York’s aggressive stars to being hunted, just as the hurricane did to them.

It takes a different kind of energy to get through it.

“Right now, at 5-5, they’re the better team,” said coach Lindy Ruff. , to improve the 5-on-5 play and improve some of the execution in the pack.”

goaltending boost

Based on all the evidence available from Games 1 and 2, as well as practice on Saturday, veteran Vitek Vanecek should start Game 3 ahead of rookie Akira Schmidt. It’s a wacky playoff symmetry considering Schmidt replaced Vanessek in Game 3 against the Rangers after the Devils lost two games at home by a combined score of 10-2.

This time around, the Devils are expected to make a goalkeeper change after taking the score 11-2 away.

The loss at Raleigh wasn’t Schmidt’s fault…but he didn’t do enough to mitigate the damage. He wasn’t as sharp in Game 2, with Martin his Nekas delivering a chaotic sequence that led to his fourth goal for the Hurricanes at the end of the second period.

“You can’t just play to give them chances like you did at the end of the second period,” Ruff said.

Vanecek set times in two games against Carolina. He went 2-1-0 against them in the regular season with a .

Full marks to Schmidt for helping the Devils win their first playoff series since 2012.

gain confidence aggressively

Raff said his team “lost patience” in the second period of Game 2, and basically sealed its fate with four goals for Carolina.

“When I started the match I was feeling really good, but as the match progressed I was getting frustrated. I made a bad decision with the puck. I let the puck go,” he said.

Nothing is offensively easy for the Devils. They haven’t been able to use their speed to create chances. The chances they created were anything but clean: His 66% of the shot attempts they made against the Carolinas were through traffic compared to 55% against the Rangers. .

Ruff is expected to shake the line in Game 3. Towards the end of Game 2, Jack Hughes and Ondrej his Parratt faced Timo his Meyer, still seeking the first points of the playoffs. At practice on Saturday, Dawson Mercer drew in place of Palat, who skated alongside Hisiar and Jesper Bratt, who have scored one point in their last five games.

Getting the defenders more involved in the offense is essential. To that end, rookie Luke Hughes replaced the injured Ryan Graves. It will be his third NHL game for the 19-year-old, but he has the puck-moving creativity teams really need right now.

They have to do something to regain their swagger aggressively or this will be a short series.

How a Hurricane Ends the Devil

Maintain your defensive zone

One of the reasons the Devils’ best players haven’t been able to roll in the offensive zone is because they spend so little time there.

In Games 3-7 against the Rangers, the Devils averaged 25:01 offensive zone times per game. In his first two games against the Hurricanes, it fell him 21:33. The Rangers allow the Devils to gain speed through the neutral zone and set up chances in the offensive zone. Against Carolina, the Neutral Zone has become the largest swamp the Devil has experienced since leaving the Meadowlands. New Jersey is averaging 12:14 in his first two games in the neutral zone. They spent 11:07 there against the Rangers in games 3 through 7.

The Hurricanes are doing a great job of creating chances when they get the offensive zone. You have a chance. Out of his 57 shooting attempts for the Devils, on average he produces rebounds 25% of the time. However, New Jersey had just 3 shots from the rebound in Game 1 and 2 in Game 2.

Carolina knows that the more time the Devils spend on defense, the less time their offensive stars shine in other zones.

“If you can get in first at the forecheck and get the keep puck in there, you can beat them,” Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook said. If we’re one and they’re clean, you’re chasing them on the way home.”

Ironically, the Devils’ best offensive player hears the same criticism the Rangers star heard in the previous round. In both cases, it inevitably goes back to the exemplary work your opponent is doing defensively.

Continuing Special Teams Dominance

The Hurricanes only have one power play goal in the first two games of the series, but it was an important one. Jesperi’s Kotkaniemi scored the first goal in the second period of Game 2 to give the Hurricanes an unyielding lead. Sometimes it matters when you score, not how many you score. Or if the devil, if not.

The Hurricanes were the second best penalty-killing team in the regular season (84.4%), and the Devils knew that better than anyone. The power play went 0-for-13 against Carolina with four short-handed goals. Already in this series, their penalty kills are 5 vs 5. The Devils made early power plays in both games, coming up empty and unable to build momentum. This was especially true in Game 2, when they failed to convert on a 5-for-3 power play.

The Devils will undoubtedly switch tactics and personnel – Luke Hughes was actually seeing time in the first unit – and associate coach Andrew Brunett is a crafty power play architect. Given that they’re struggling at 5, it’s imperative that the Hurricanes give nothing with a one-man advantage.

Leave the rest to Freddie

Quietly, Frederick Andersen is becoming one of the playoff stories. He returned to the lineup for Game 6 against the Islanders after suffering illness and minor injuries. Andersen has only allowed his one goal in each of his three games in the postseason and looks remarkably consistent among the Carolina pipes.

“Freddie was there all night. There was never a time when he didn’t have to make a save. It certainly made a difference,” coach Rod Brindamore said after Game 2.

While the Devils sort out their goaltending, the Hurricanes are playing well in front of Andersen and he’s doing the rest. Consistency is key in the playoff series. So far, the Hurricanes look largely untroubled by their opponents.