After a grueling first-round series against the New York Rangers that went seven games, the New Jersey Devils have no time to relax. They face a quick turnaround with Game 1 of their Round 2 series against the Carolina Hurricanes taking place tonight, just 48 hours after a dominant 4-0 win over the Rangers in Game 7. The Hurricanes will come into the series well-rested, not having played since Friday, April 28, when they defeated the New York Islanders in Game 6.
This matchup will differ from what the Devils dealt with in the first round. The Hurricanes were one of the best five-on-five teams during the regular season and will pose some matchup problems. However, injuries for the Hurricanes could prove to be a difference-maker. Let’s get into it and size up this Round 2 series between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Devils & Hurricanes Evenly Matched at 5-on-5
The Devils had a significant advantage over the Rangers at five-on-five coming into their first-round series. That came to fruition, as they finished with a 58.13 expected goals percentage (xG%) across their seven games against New York. Unfortunately, things won’t come as easy for the Devils at five-on-five this time.
The Hurricanes and the Devils were two of the best five-on-five teams in the regular season, as they nearly matched each other in every significant metric at that game state. New Jersey finished the regular season with a 56.53 xG%, ranked second to the Hurricanes, who had an impressive 59.85 xG%. When it came to generating quality chances, the Devils averaged 3.15 expected goals per 60 minutes, while the Hurricanes averaged 3.17; those rates ranked second and first in the league.
The Hurricanes play with pace and can transition the puck up the ice quickly with a mobile and effective blue line led by Brent Burns, Brady Skjei and Jaccob Slavin. The difference compared to the Devils is the Hurricanes are a heavy dump-and-chase team that looks to create offense through the forecheck. New Jersey’s weakness on defense is puck retrievals on dump-ins, which could be a problem since the Hurricanes’ system is predicated on forechecking.
The Devils can forecheck and cycle themselves, but their strength offensively is off the rush. They’ll get downhill quickly on an opponent with players like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico…
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