Devils Game 2 Preview: Strategies to Win Without Luke Hughes

Sheldon Keefe will make adjustments for Game 2, but the New Jersey Devils have a mountain to climb without Luke Hughes

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There was some good for the New Jersey Devils in their Game 1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they mostly looked overmatched. That wasn't necessarily a surprise, given their lack of depth and injuries, but they'll need to adjust, especially with Luke Hughes unavailable.

Sheldon Keefe broke up Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt in the third period of Game 1, and it had some success. I assume Keefe will stick with that adjustment, but what else could he change ahead of a pivotal Game 2 tonight in Raleigh?

Meier, Hischier & Bratt on Separate Lines

Keefe went with an Ondřej Palát, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier top line and an Erik Haula, Dawson Mercer, and Jesper Bratt second line in the third on Sunday, and it worked. Both those lines totaled expected goal shares (xG%) above 95 percent.

How much of that was score effects remains to be seen, but Keefe appears to be sticking with it to start tonight's game. However, what about splitting all of Bratt, Hischier and Meier and having them drive three separate lines?

Former coach Lindy Ruff separated all three players and had some success with it. Of course, that was with Jack Hughes in the lineup most times, and the Devils are obviously without Hughes for the remainder of this season.

Still, there may be a path to doing so since Cody Glass is OK and will be in the lineup tonight after taking an accidental slash from Jacob Markström late in Game 1.

Keefe could keep Palát and Hischier together while having Stefan Noesen round out that unit. Noesen has played well with Hischier all season long, and Keefe said he wanted more heaviness on that line, hence why he moved Palát there.

The Haula, Mercer and Bratt unit stays together, while the third line would consist of Paul Cotter, Glass, and Meier. Haula, Mercer and Bratt had an xG% of 68.4 percent during the regular season, though in a small sample of 24 minutes.

Still, they picked up where they left off in the third period on Sunday. Cotter, Glass and Meier would be an unknown, but it would balance out the Devils' top nine.

That might be the best way to counteract the Hurricanes' deep forward group by separating Meier, Hischier and Bratt. We'll see how the game goes at the start, but Keefe might have to consider it since Luke Hughes won’t be in tonight.