The Carolina Hurricanes face the New Jersey Devils in Game Three of the Second Round in what's been a one-sided series thus far. The Hurricanes won Game One 5-1 and then took Game Two with a decisive 6-1 victory. The Devils lost the first two games on the road and are hoping to rebound on their home ice before the series gets out of reach. The Hurricanes look to take a 3-0 series lead while the Devils are hoping to make this series competitive and Game Three should be a great one as a result.
The Hurricanes are having a great series with their offense stepping up and scoring 11 goals in the first two games. Jordan Martinhook, Jesper Fast, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi have scored five goals and five assists but the entire offense has been great. Jordan Staal, Seth Jarvis, and Sebastian Aho have combined for two goals and five assists while defensemen Brett Pesce and Shayne Gostisbehere have added a goal and three assists from the point to put the offense over the top.
The offense has been great but the defense, which has allowed only 17 goals in the playoffs, has carried the Hurricanes, allowing only two goals in the first two games. Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin have led the top pairing while Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Shayne Gostisbehere have added depth to the unit, creating turnovers in all three zones and limiting shots on the net. In addition, goaltender Frederik Andersen has been rema rkable in this series, saving 45 of the 47 shots he's faced.