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Carolina Hurricanes: Keys for Metro Success

ByJeb Bohn|
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 14: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes leaves the ice following warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC - MAY 14: Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes leaves the ice following warmups prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Third Round against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 14, 2019 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
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New Jersey LW Taylor Hall
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 23: Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Prudential Center on December 23, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. The Blue Jackets shutout the Devils 3-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

New Jersey Devils

Five years after Martin Brodeur played his last game in New Jersey (has it really been that long?), the Devils are in the midst of a new era.  Dynamic forwards Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier lead the way up front, soon to be joined by Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev.  Veteran Wayne Simmonds was added to provide a net-front presence.

Offense was at a premium last year, with the Devils finishing 25th in the league with 219 goals.  A large part of this can be attributed to Hall missing 49 games with a knee injury.  A healthy Taylor Hall is an absolute necessity for the Devils to gain ground this year.

The Devils power play struggled last year, finishing just below the Hurricanes.  GM Ray Shero helped address this by adding P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators.  Over the last 3 seasons, Subban has picked up 51 points (10g; 41a) on the man advantage.  That type of production will go a long way for the Devils finding consistent success.

After 3 solid seasons in New Jersey (69W; 2.13GAA; .923SV%; 12SO), the play of Cory Schneider dipped over the past 3 seasons (43W; 2.94GAA; .906SV%; 4SO).  An abdominal injury derailed Schneider last year.  MacKenzie Blackwood (10W; 2.61GAA; .918SV%; 2SO) performed amiably in his first season.

Keys for the Hurricanes:

  • Stay out of the box – Yeah, the Devils’ power play was bad last year, but the additions of Subban, Hughes, and Simmonds, along with a healthy Hall could easily boost their conversion rate.  The Hurricanes shouldn’t volunteer to test that.
  • Fight speed with speed – While the Carolina Hurricanes have plenty of speed, the Devils are no slouches in that regard.  The defense has to be able to match the speed of oncoming forwards and execute clean breakout passes to allow the likes of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov, and company to flex their offensive muscles.
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