NEWARK, N.J. – The New Jersey Devils were on a mission to turn the tide against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 at the Prudential Center on Sunday.
Mission accomplished.
The Devils rebounded convincingly with an 8-4 victory in front of a raucous crowd after two disappointing road losses in Games 1 and 2 (5-1 and 6-1, respectively).
The situation was familiar for New Jersey, which also lost the first two games of the series against the New York Rangers in the first round, before winning four of the next five games to advance to the next round.
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“You (the media) talk about inexperience, but we have been in this situation before, down 0-2, launched the center Jack Hughes. We don’t want to say we’re comfortable, but it’s still a long streak, and we’re back. We have a great opportunity ahead of us to tie the series in two days, so we’re in good shape. »
How unusual was this change in ‘momentum’?
Hughes shone with two goals and two assists, but he also picked up his first career roughing penalty when he got into trouble with Sebastian Oh in the Hurricanes net at 11:30 of the second period.
“He gave me a cross-check and I had had enough,” Hughes said. These are the series. It’s competitive and intense, and he’s their best player. They want it on the ice. My team wants me on the ice. I don’t know if you can expect that again, but it’s hockey. »
Hughes is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player considered to have demonstrated the best sportsmanship while displaying outstanding performance on the ice.
“I think it kills his chances for the Lady Byng,” coach Lindy Ruff said with a laugh. What did he think? »
“He stood up for himself and he’s a tough client,” added the defender Brendan Smith in a more serious tone.
Jack’s younger brother, the defender Luke Hughesalso pumped up some energy in Game 3, finishing the game with two assists in 14:28 in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut.
Jack and Luke each even got an assist on the goal of Damon Severson in the second period. They are the first brothers to achieve this feat since Daniel and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, who did so in 2015 against the Calgary Flames in Game 5 of the first round series.
“I liked my game. It’s definitely something to build on, said Luke. There are a few things to tweak, but I liked my transition game. I moved the puck quickly and defended with gusto, closing the spaces in the lower end. »
Video: CAR@NJD, #3: Severson scores a beautiful goal
attackers Timo Meier et Nico Hischier also contributed by each scoring their first goal of the current series. Then the keeper Vitek Vanecekwho was getting his first start since Game 2 against the Rangers (April 20), made 26 saves.
“This group understands exactly where we stand,” Ruff said. We’ve been down 0-2 before, and we knew it was a tough defensive streak against Rangers. We knew it was going to be tough, but with that kind of start, it got the guys going. It was important. Nico’s game, Timo’s way of playing, his robust game and his goal, and the other chances from the best like Ondrej Palat… They gave us what we needed. »
Meier had missed Game 1 with an upper-body injury, but he impacted his physical game throughout the playoffs. He leads New Jersey with 27 hits in nine games.
“It comes down to working tirelessly against this team,” Meier said. It comes down to those who want the most, who win the little battles. We did a better job in 50-50 situations, we came out with the puck more often. It becomes more fun to play and it helps create offense, but it also helps defensively. »
More importantly, the Devils were more convincing at 5-on-5 after being outplayed in the first two games.
“I was really happy,” said Ruff. We were diligent, we were faster than them, we created a lot of things. We missed a few opportunities to attack the net and get pucks into the net, but overall it was much better. »
2023-05-08 02:36:26
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