NEWARK, N.J. --The New Jersey Devils were on a mission to turn the tables on the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Prudential Center on Sunday.
Mission accomplished.
The Devils rebounded in resounding fashion with an 8-4 win in front of a raucous home crowd after two disappointing losses on the road in Games 1 and 2 (5-1 and 6-1, respectively).
It was familiar territory for New Jersey, which also lost Games 1 and 2 to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round before winning four of the next five games to advance.
"You (media) guys throw around inexperience, but now we've been in this situation before where we've been down 0-2," Devils center Jack Hughes said. "You don't want to say we're comfortable, but you know it's still a long series, so we're back in this thing now. We got a really good opportunity ahead of us to even up the series (in Game 4 on Tuesday), so we're in a good spot.
"If we bring our compete, our focus and are ready to go off the first puck drop, we'll be in good shape."
How unusual was this change in momentum against Carolina?
Hughes not only put on an offensive display with two goals and two assists, but he was also assessed the first roughing minor of his NHL career when he grappled with Sebastian Aho in front of the Hurricanes' net at 11:30 of the second period.
"That was just him cross-checking me and giving it to me and I had enough of that," Hughes said. "It's playoffs. It's competitive, intense, and he's their top player and (they) want him on the ice. My team wants me on the ice. I don't know if you can expect that again, but that's hockey right there."
Hughes is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player voted to best combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.
"I think that kills his chance for the Lady Byng," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said jokingly. "Really, what's he thinking?"
Said defenseman Brendan Smith: "He stood up for himself and he's a tough customer. He pile-drived him."
Jack's youngest brother, defenseman Luke Hughes, also provided a boost in Game 3, finishing with two assists in 14:28 of ice time his Stanley Cup Playoff debut.
Jack (secondary assist) and Luke (primary assist) even factored in on Damon Severson's goal at 5:33 of the second period that gave the Devils a 5-1 lead. They are the first set of brothers to both factor in on the same playoff goal since Vancouver Canucks forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin did it against the Calgary Flames in Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference First Round.
"I liked my game. It was definitely something to build off of," Luke said. "There's a couple things to clean up, but I liked my transition game, moved the puck fast and how I defended hard, squeezed really close on plays down low. It was a good building block for me."
Other contributions came from forwards Timo Meier and Nico Hischier, who each scored his first goal of the postseason, and goalie Vitek Vanecek, who made 26 saves in his first start since Game 2 against the Rangers (April 20).
"This group totally understands where we're at," Ruff said. "We were down 0-2 before, and we knew that was a tough defensive series against the Rangers. We knew this was going to be tough, but I think to get the start we did, get those guys on the board was important. The game Nico had, the way Timo played physically (two hits) and the goal he got, and the other opportunities from top guys like Ondrej Palat ... they gave us what we needed."
Meier missed the 5-1 loss in Game 1 with an upper-body injury but has made an impact throughout the playoffs with his play in the tough areas of the ice. He leads New Jersey with 27 hits in nine games.
"It comes down to being relentless against this team," Meier said. "It comes down to who wants it more, who wins the small battles. We did a better job on 50-50's, we came out more with the puck, and that's going to give you the puck more. It makes it more fun playing and more offense, and that also helps you defend."
Perhaps most important, though, was the fact that the Devils owned much of the 5-on-5 play after being dominated in that department in Games 1 and 2 (outscored 8-2). The Devils outscored (6-1) and outshot (31-23) the Hurricanes at 5-on-5 on Sunday.
"I was really satisfied (at 5-on-5)," Ruff said. "We were diligent, we got on top of them, created a lot of opportunities. On our puck possession, there were a few times we passed on opportunities to attack the net, get pucks to the net, but overall, a lot better."
