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Brind’Amour said it was a combination of things that allowed the Devils to find their speed game in a way they couldn’t in Raleigh.
“In Games 1 and 2, everything went our way. Maybe it went their way [in Game 3],” he said. “But like I said, they were on it. They were better than we were.”
Brind’Amour, who celebrates his five-year anniversary as Carolina coach on Tuesday, likes to preach about “the stress game” to his players: Putting their opponents in a state of panic with the tenacity of their play. It’s what the Hurricanes did so well at home in Games 1 and 2, using their forecheck and a puck-hounding defense to frustrate the Devils. It’s what was missing in Game 3.
“They got more pucks in deep,” Slavin said. “We didn’t and we couldn’t establish our forecheck.”
That’ll be paramount for the Canes in Game 4.
For New Jersey, the stars must shine
The Devils’ offensive breakout in Game 3 was a story of determination and deployment.
No one was more upset than captain Nico Hischier after the first two losses on the road. “We should be really pissed off right now,” he said after Game 2.
Hischier played like he was trying to prove something in Game 3. He had eight shot attempts, four shots on goal and a goal scored at 5-on-5. That included four rebound attempts and two rebounds created. He was an absolute force in Game 3, and the Devils took their cue from their leader.
For Jack Hughes, who had two goals and two assists in Game 3, the story was deployment. Carolina has one of the best defensive centers in the NHL in Jordan Staal. Postseason after postseason, he has smothered the other team’s best offensive players when Brind’Amour gets his matchups in Raleigh. On the road, opposing coaches make it a point to get their stars as far away from Staal as possible.
In Game 1, Staal shared the ice with Hughes for 9:25. In Game 2, it was 10:40. But in Game 3, Ruff got his young star away from Staal, who shared the ice with Hughes for only 3:40.
The Devils saw many of their star players hit the score sheet in Game 3 — heck, even Timo Meier registered his first point of the playoffs with a first-period goal. Ruff said it’s possible some weight will be lifted off his players.
“You get automatic relief. You can talk about not feeling the pressure, but you do. Every game is such a big game and you want to be a difference maker,” he said. “Every guy has a tough stretch. It just gets magnified in the playoffs.”
Not many are expecting another 12-goal game between the Devils and Hurricanes. Game 4 should return back to a more tightly played battle. Regardless of whether the Hurricanes get their matchups or play better defense in Game 4, Ruff said the Devils can’t play as tentatively as they did in their first two losses.
“You might make some mistakes. You’re going to have to make plays under duress. Some of those decisions might not be the best,” he said. “But in order to create, you’re going to have to put some risk in your game.”
