G38 New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Back to work

The Devils return to action against a perennial contender within the division.

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The New Jersey Devils return to action Friday night with a clash against another Metro Division titan in the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here are a few notes to get you set for the game:

Unstoppable force vs. immovable object

The Devils have defended extremely well this season. They’ve taken things up a notch of late, allowing 21+ shots just once over the last eight games while completely taking the danger out of opposing offenses.

They rank 1st in shot suppression, 1st in goals conceded, and 3rd in expected goals against at 5v5 spanning the past 10 games.

They have also fared well on the penalty kill, making it difficult on teams to generate consistent offense in any facet of the game.

If there’s a team that can dent the armour, though, it may just be the Carolina Hurricanes.

Despite all the key off-season departures, they have not skipped a beat offensively. They lead the NHL in expected goals at 5v5 and rank 2nd in shot generation. They put a lot of shots on net – and good ones, at that.

In terms of outputs, the Hurricanes rank 5th in goals per game (3.47) while the Devils sit 1st in goals against (2.46). It’s truly two of the best at each end of the spectrum.

If the Devils come back a little rusty, or perhaps rest on their laurels a little bit, the Hurricanes are more than capable of taking advantage.

Home cooking