Hurricanes 3, Devils 1: Good, but not enough

The Devils put forth a much better effort in Game 2 but were unable to make their chances count. They now find themselves in an 0-2 hole.

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The New Jersey Devils were unable to steal a win in Game 2, once again scoring just a goal in a losing effort.

Here are some observations from the game:

The Devils responded

The Devils were so, so, so much better in Game 2 than in the series opener – and not just because the bar to clear was low. They were legitimately good.

I’m not sure the Devils could have put forth a better effort given the circumstances.

Playing without Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brenden Dillon – forcing them to ice two defensemen who haven’t played NHL caliber hockey this season – seemed like a death sentence. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the Devils were run out of the rink. That didn’t happen.

The Devils put on their work boots and played their asses off at both ends of the ice. Offensively, the Devils had a healthy chunk of quality shots and found ways to get looks inside, generating 14 high-danger chances and 4.51 expected goals. 4.51!

Those are great numbers against any opponent, let alone a team like the Hurricanes. For perspective, they allowed 10.8 Grade A looks and 2.71 expected goals per 60 on home ice during the regular season.

Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Stefan Noesen had several great chances around the net. Jesper Bratt was making things happen all over the ice. Dougie Hamilton had plenty of shooting opportunities coming downhill. Heck, Simon Nemec was feeding trailing 4th liners one-time passes into the high slot.

The Devils had a ton of opportunities and threatened the net as much as realistically possible given the personnel. They just couldn’t beat Frederik Andersen (or hit the target when he was down and out).

Defensively, the Devils understandably had their hiccups. There were breakdowns and plenty of good chances for the Hurricanes.

The Devils did a good job of contesting shots, though, whether it be by getting a stick in the way to disrupt at the last second or guys like Brett Pesce, Nico Hischier, and Nate Bastian sprawling to try and block shots. They did everything they could.

The chances were there offensively while the Devils made necessary sacrifices to survive defensively. They just couldn’t get the chips to fall their way. Unfortunately, that’s what matters most.

Nightmare fuel for Meier