The Carolina Hurricanes are on a roll. But so did the New York Rangers in the first round against the New Jersey Devils. The devils have a knife to their throats – are they also up against a clearly tougher opposition?
At 22.30 New Jersey Devils–Carolina Hurricanes, TV2 and Arenan
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Commentator: Mattias Simonsen
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The broadcast starts at 22:15, Yle also broadcasts Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs after NJD-CAR is finished. It is commented only in Finnish.
Match three in the series – and already a must-match for the home team. The New Jersey Devils are unlikely to make it four straight against a disciplined Carolina Hurricanes, trailing 0-2 in games following the doubleheader in Raleigh.
The positive? The situation was identical in the first round. Then the Devils were overrun by the New York Rangers in the first two games, which were also played on their home ice.
Now they have the support of the home crowd behind them as they go in to knock the early favorites down. Against the Rangers, they evidently adapted after their two opening losses, now it is up to the evidence above all for coach Lindy Ruff to do the same again.
The negative? Carolina is a completely different monster than the Rangers. Manhattan’s blueshirts didn’t play as a team, relying on the big names to deliver offensively. They didn’t.
Carolina grinds instead with four chains, has a relentless forecheck and defends better than any team left in the game. In addition, players other than Sebastian Aho have suddenly taken on the responsibility of putting the puck in.
The Finns: “Goatkaniemi” has emerged
When this commentator before the last Yle-broadcast Carolina game was going to highlight the Finns, it was easy to see that Jesperi Kotkaniemi has found his form. Now it’s even easier to do the same thing.
After emerging victorious from the first round without a goal, Björneborgssonen has already pocketed three pucks in two games against the Devils and provided the breadth that all pundits knew Carolina needed to beat New Jersey.
Sebastian Aho is, despite everything, still the Hurricanes’ most important player.
Aho plays together with Seth Jarvis and Stefan Noesen and in practice carries all the load to ensure that there is something offensive when they are on the ice – either by controlling something with the puck himself or by winning it in his own zone and sending it off pulley forward.
Jesse Puljujärvi looks more and more comfortable in the role of the fourth-chain wear wolf, but has a bit of an unnecessary problem with the balance in front of the box.
No, it’s not a thankless task to wrestle against Dougie Hamilton (as “Pulju” has had to do often), but the former No. 4 draft pick has the physique to do it and just needs to focus a little more on how he uses it.
In the Devils, Erik Haula has again shown why he should belong in the discussion about the most underrated Finn in the entire NHL. Extremely strong-willed and in practice only does the right things on the ice.
Perhaps it is not so surprising? Together with Ondrej Palat, he belongs to the few players who have experience of going far in the playoffs and it actually shows. Plays with a drive that many other key players have lacked so far in the series.
The key: Devils’ young roosters must deliver
Who are those “other tone-setting players” then? Primarily Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, who all have magic basic series behind them.
All three were also terribly sharp as the Devils turned the series against the New York Rangers, and 2019 draft pick Hughes in particular showed that he is a star.
Against Carolina, they have been pale.
Well, Carolina plays them off in a completely different way than the Rangers managed to (check out, for example, Jordan Staal’s tackle on a sailing Jack Hughes in mid-zone in Game One or Kotkaniemi’s tackle on a nonchalant Hischier in Game Two), but the key players must step up if New Jersey is to advance.
Timo Meier took an incredibly hard hit in game seven against the Rangers, missed the first game against Carolina and looked uncomfortable in game two. The North American commentators suspected that it was about him being above playing with a visor covering his face.
Akira Schmid was in turn the young rooster of the young roosters between the posts against the Rangers – against Carolina he has now been replaced in two consecutive games. Will he even start in tonight’s clash?
Commentator’s tip: Devils keep streak alive
New Jersey has seemingly had no answers whatsoever to Carolina’s terribly demanding and abrasive style of play.
In order for Carolina to win, they still need to continue scoring at almost the same rate they have so far. Call me a pessimist, but it still seems unlikely that they would continue to do so.
That game where no pucks seem to go in will come in this series as well, and why not in that one where the opposition is really pressed to deliver.
Frederik Andersen has been stable so far in Carolinakassen, but at the same time not properly tested. What if it’s New Jersey that manages to score an early goal?
It feels like it could happen tonight – and New Jersey wins 4-2.
