After a rocky 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the first of their end-of-year doubleheader last night, the New Jersey Devils (24-11-3) will face the Hurricanes (21-13-1) again Saturday night. Carolina has gotten the better of New Jersey in recent seasons, but the Devils showed who’s boss Friday night at the Prudential Center. They’ll look to get two more crucial points against one of their top division rivals at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Match Overview
The Hurricanes initially had the Devils on the back foot Friday night, controlling the pace of play and possession through the end of the first period. Down by a goal late in the period, the Devils’ offense exploded with two goals from Ondrej Palat and Nico Hischier just under a minute apart. Brent Burns tied it up on the opening shift of the second period but goals from Luke Hughes and Dawson Mercer killed the Canes’ momentum and put them to rest. Up 4-2, the Devils fortified their own end and wound down the clock, draining the final 8:11 of the third period without a whistle.
The first game of the doubleheader wasn’t the prettiest, the Hurricanes outpaced the Devils in high-danger chances in the first and third periods and Jacob Markstrom made some key saves to keep the Devils competitive. Despite this, New Jersey got the job done with strong finishing and tight defensive play to end the game. They’ll look to play their more consistently suffocating brand of hockey against Carolina tonight.
The Devils sit atop the Metropolitan Division and became the first team in the Eastern Conference to cross the 50-point threshold. The Hurricanes are in third place with 43 points.
Lines and Pairings
Devils-
Forwards
Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Palat-Hughes-Bratt
Cotter-Haula-Mercer
Tatar-Lazar-Bastian
Defense
Dillion-Hamilton
Siegenthaler-Kovacevic
Hughes-Pesce
Goalies
Allen
Markstrom
Hurricanes-
Forwards
Jarvis-Aho-Roslovic
Svechnikov-Kotkaniemi-Necas
Carrier-Staal-Martinook
Robinson-Jost-Blake
Defense
Slavin-Burns
Orlov-Chatfield
Gostisbehere-Walker
Goalies
Tokarski
Kochetov
Keys to the Game
Play Conservatively
It’s difficult to beat a well-coached team like Carolina back-to-back, so the Devils will need to settle themselves down for game two and play a safer brand of hockey. They finished well against Carolina, a team that has had their share of struggles in net after Frederik Andersen’s knee injury.
They’ll face the Canes’ backup, Dustin Tokarski, Saturday. He’s played two games this year and hasn’t looked particularly impressive, earning -0.61 goals saved above expected (GSAx). The goal tonight should be to take away options and shooting lanes. If they do that, they’ll get enough chances to capitalize on a weak goaltending situation. They can’t afford to let the Hurricanes’ offense get rhythm and get past the reliable Jacob Markstrom.
Luke Hughes on a Tear
Luke Hughes has played excellent hockey this year, especially on the defensive side of the puck. He didn’t notch a ton of points to start the year but he made up for it in leaps and bounds with his improved shutdown game. But his offensive reemergence was inevitable, and he’s been a key scoring threat in the Devils’ offense over the past few games.
He’s riding a hot streak of two goals and seven points in his last six games and earned first-star honors last night. If Hughes can ride this hot streak while maintaining his defensive touch, the Hughes/Pesce pairing will be one of the most dangerous in hockey.
Where to Watch
Saturday game can be seen on MSGSN2 at 7:00 pm ET.