Devils Overmatched in Game 1 Loss to Hurricanes

The New Jersey Devils' Game 1 Loss to the Carolina Hurricanes showed how much of a hill they have to climb

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The New Jersey Devils' first game against the Carolina Hurricanes did not go all that well, but it wasn't all that surprising. Jalen Chatfield scored on the Hurricanes' first shot of the game, and they didn't look back, jumping out to a 3-0 lead that proved insurmountable.

It was never going to be easy for the Devils, but their Game 1 loss showed how much of a hill they have to climb. What were the biggest takeaways from the defeat? And did Sheldon Keefe already hint at some adjustments?

Devils Need to Figure Out Something at 5-on-5

Keefe said before the game that the Hurricanes are easy to prepare for but the hardest to play against. They've played the same way for years, so you know what they will do, but they execute it so well that it's difficult to stop.

The Hurricanes showed why that was the case across the first 40 minutes, especially during the second period. The first period wasn't terrible, at least at five-on-five. New Jersey did well to hold the Hurricanes to the perimeter, allowing just 0.36 expected goals at five-on-five.

But as is the case with the Hurricanes, they come in waves, and it eventually got to the Devils. They scored twice in the second period and had ten high-danger chances at five-on-five alone.

The one thing the Devils cannot do in this series is fall behind multiple goals. They're not built to come back from multi-goal deficits, especially with Jack Hughes out for the remainder of the season. And the second period essentially did the team in.

Keefe mentioned it after the game, but the Devils will likely get outshot every game this series. You can't focus on the shot counter much and have to focus on what you're giving up.

Second period aside, the Devils did OK in limiting quality chances. The Hurricanes got 31 shots on net at five-on-five, but as can be the case with them, there was more quantity than quality in the first and third periods. The key is figuring out how to generate something at five-on-five and play more of the game in the Hurricanes’ end.

Keefe Split Up Hischier & Bratt

Early last week, I wrote about how Keefe should split up Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt because 1) to get them away from Jordan Staal and 2) because the rest of the roster isn't good enough to have them stacked on one line.

It looks like Keefe realized that's something he'll need to do, as in the third period, he moved Bratt to a line with Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer and Ondřej Palat with Hischier and Timo Meier.

The Palát, Hischier and Meier trio played well in the third, out-attempting the Hurricanes 9-1 while controlling over 95 percent of the expected goals. You'll need some line to do that against the Hurricanes, so that's a positive. But as Keefe said, how much of that was real, and how much of it was score effects?

I'm skeptical that a Palát, Hischier and Meier line will work from the get-go of a game, so perhaps placing Stefan Noesen with Hischier and Meier makes sense. You need to find a combo that works, and they could provide something at five-on-five that the Devils sorely need.

Had Jacob Markström not taken out Cody Glass, it would have been easy to put Glass between Haula and Bratt since they played well as a trio during the regular season.

However, Haula, Mercer and Bratt played well in the third, totaling an xG% of just over 95 percent. Again, is it real, or was it score effects? But perhaps there's something to build on, so it'll be interesting to see what changes Keefe makes ahead of Game 2 tomorrow night.

Markström Did His Part

Maybe Markström would like back one of the goals he gave up, but that loss wasn't even remotely on him. He made 41 saves on 44 shots and was 10/10 on high-danger shots while saving 1.02 goals above expected.

That's the kind of performance the Devils need from Markström to give them a chance at pulling off that upset, so that's a positive. But they need to play much better in front of him, or it won't matter.

Granted, the Hurricanes will get their shots. There's not much the Devils can do about that, but they need to find a way to generate more offense and play more of the game in the Hurricanes' end. That's why finding the right line combos at five-on-five will be crucial for the Devils in Game 2.

Quick Hits

• Keefe said they had to pull Brenden Dillon away from returning to the game after he got hurt in the first period. He wanted to return badly, but doctors held him out for precautionary reasons. You can think whatever you want to about Dillon, but losing him would be a blow since one of his replacements would be Seamus Casey or Šimon Nemec. The Hurricanes' style would be a nightmare matchup for either young defenseman, so hopefully Dillon can play.

• It may be only one game, but I thought you already saw why the Hurricanes are such a favorite. Their depth is far superior to the Devils. The Paul Cotter, Glass and Daniel Sprong line got hemmed in often before Keefe broke them up in the third period. The fourth line of Palát, Justin Dowling and Nathan Bastian didn't fare much better, either. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it now, but it shows what kind of limitations the Devils have.

• The Devils got two power plays in the game but didn't do much with either. The Hurricanes have the No. 1 penalty kill in the NHL, so that's another challenge the Devils have to face, but they need to find a way to score when up a man. They're unlikely to win the five-on-five battle moving forward, so they have to cash in when they get a power-play opportunity because they won't get many other chances to score.

Game Score Chart

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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick

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