G43 New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Stop the bleeding

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Five things to watch when the New Jersey Devils take on the Carolina Hurricanes:

1. Buckle up

Jon Gillies held up surprisingly well against the Tampa Bay Lightning. By and large, though, he’s been a little overwhelmed at the NHL level.

Even after a strong performance last time out, Gillies has conceded 0.36 goals above expectation per start. The three guys right on his tail in that category: Thomas Greiss, Filip Gustavsson, and Aaron Dell. Not an ideal group to be mingling with.

This isn’t to say Gillies has been atrocious or that the Devils have other options they should be riding with. They don’t. But this is going to be another extremely difficult test for him.

Over the last 10 games, the Hurricanes lead the NHL in xGF/60 (3.54) and GF/60 (3.98). Those are extraordinary numbers for a team to be posting at 5v5.

While the Devils have defended better than given credit for this season, they still make their share of mistakes and – without Dougie Hamilton – they don’t have the starpower or depth needed to defend at a high level for 60 minutes; especially against a team like Carolina.

Gillies is going to see more than his fair share of shots and quality chances in this game. If he’s not up to the task, the scoreline will be ugly.