The Devils and Hurricanes meet in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series Friday night at the Prudential Center. Here are three things to watch:
1. Some lineup changes for the Hurricanes? Coach Paul Maurice says he'll move some players around to get more balance on his third and fourth lines, but won't make any changes. However, defenseman Tim Conboy stayed out late after the morning skate, which suggests a change on the blue line. "We probably didn't have anybody individually stand out any worse than anyone else," Maurice said of Game 1. "We'll move guys around and make sure we have some balance on the bottom two lines."
2. Keeping home ice: Losing Game 2 would give away the advantage, so the Devils must play even better than they did in Game 1. "You certainly have to expect Carolina to play a very good game," Devils coach Brent Sutter said Friday morning. "We have to make sure we keep our foot on the pedal and use our last game as a stepping stone to continue to improve and get better."
3. Johnny Oduya: The Devils defenseman says he's fine and just took Thursday off for maintenance. If there is anything wrong, expect the Hurricanes to zero in on half of New Jersey's best defense pairing.
1. Some lineup changes for the Hurricanes? Coach Paul Maurice says he'll move some players around to get more balance on his third and fourth lines, but won't make any changes. However, defenseman Tim Conboy stayed out late after the morning skate, which suggests a change on the blue line. "We probably didn't have anybody individually stand out any worse than anyone else," Maurice said of Game 1. "We'll move guys around and make sure we have some balance on the bottom two lines."
2. Keeping home ice: Losing Game 2 would give away the advantage, so the Devils must play even better than they did in Game 1. "You certainly have to expect Carolina to play a very good game," Devils coach Brent Sutter said Friday morning. "We have to make sure we keep our foot on the pedal and use our last game as a stepping stone to continue to improve and get better."
3. Johnny Oduya: The Devils defenseman says he's fine and just took Thursday off for maintenance. If there is anything wrong, expect the Hurricanes to zero in on half of New Jersey's best defense pairing.
