New York. Now, at least the New Jersey Devils didn’t start both streaks with a 5-1 double loss.
I nattens andra match mot Carolina åkte de, efter en storartad insats av finländaren Jesperi Kotkaniemi, på Stryk med 6-1 instead…
– We must be really upset, says Captain Nico Hischier.
It seemed for a while that the Devils were stuck in a strange trap going 5-1 in the Stanley Cup Series opener.
With those numbers they lost their first two games to the New York Rangers – before turning the tables and dumping their worst rival – and in the same way the first game against the Carolina Hurricanes ended in Raleigh on Wednesday.
And indeed: Even in tonight’s comeback, the Canes had been leading 5-1 for a while, but eventually former Devils player Stefan Nuessen scored another goal, so Jesper Bratt & Co. at least sidestepped questions about the 5-1 curse.
But they are still in a 0-2 deficit.
– We showed in the last series that we can come back after being in this situation and we have to make sure we do it again. Celebrity Timo Meyer says: We have nothing to gain from feeling sorry for ourselves.
However, it must be the Jersey Devils cursed On themselves, Captain Nico Hischier thought.
– It worries me that they struggle more than us. He says we should be really upset about that.
We have a lot of talent here, but talent means nothing in the qualifiers if you don’t fight all the time.
However, it was the fact that the Hurricanes played a great game and, unlike their series against the New York Islanders, looked like a real contender.
Above all, 22-year-old Finn Jesperi Kotaniemi had a big night. First, he established himself in respect with two thunderous tackles in the first period. Then he scored two goals in just over two minutes at the start of the second half and thus took the air out of the visitors.
– But everyone contributed tonight. It was exactly that kind of effort that we talked about during qualifying. I’m very comfortable, says coach Rod Brind Amor.
Jesper Fast accounted for the help.
The next game in the series will take place in Newark on Sunday, 21.30 SST.