The Carolina Hurricanes worried about being a bit rusty heading into Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup against the New Jersey Devils. However, by the end of the night, those concerns were put to bed.
The Hurricanes dominated the Devils, cruising to a 5-1 victory on Wednesday night. Carolina even chased standout rookie Akira Schmid after scoring three goals on 11 shots.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour mentioned his worries regarding rust versus rest after the game. “I was a little concerned about the layoff and how we would respond, but you could see we had more legs… Credit to the guys, who came ready to go,” he said.
Despite the great game on Wednesday, the Hurricanes aren't getting ahead of themselves. They are well aware that the Devils are better than their Game 1 performance. And they even saw glimpses of that as the game went on.
“We know that New Jersey is going to play better. I know that,” Brind'Amour said after Game 1. “After the first period, they showed what they can do. That's a very scary team. For us to win, we're going to have to have everyone contributing like tonight.”
The Hurricanes certainly received contributions aplenty on Wednesday. Forwards Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal each recorded two assists. Defenseman Brady Skjei and forward Jesper Fast each scored their third goal of the playoffs, as well.
Carolina looks to take a commanding 2-0 series lead with a win in Game 2. The Hurricanes host the Devils once again on Friday night. The game is scheduled to start at 8 pm Eastern time, and American fans can view the game on TNT.
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