11/6 Devils at Hurricanes: 3 Things We Learned
by Julie Robenhymer / newjerseydevils.com
The Devils defeated the Hurricanes, 4-1, tonight in Raleigh for their first road win of the season thanks to Mike Cammalleri's natural hat trick and a shorthanded, empty-net goal by Andy Greene. Here's what we learned:
1) It's not always about how many shots you take, but how many you make count. The Devils took three shots the entire second period, but two of them found their way across the goal line. After dominating the first period, they were badly outshot in the next two, but when you take advantage of your opportunities the way they did tonight, nothing else matters.
2) Keith Kinkaid stopped 33 shots tonight including several flurries late in the game. As head coach John Hynes said, he gave them a chance to win tonight. Kinkaid credits his teammates for keeping the Canes out of the slot and to the perimeter and allowing him the opportunity to see every shot.
3) The Devils penalty kill came up big tonight. The unit got some extra work in when Carolina pulled its goalie with just over four minutes left in regulation and even more when Ben Lovejoy was called for slashing with 1:52 remaining to make it a 6-on-4 opportunity for the Hurricanes.
The Devils (5-3-3) are off tomorrow before hosting Carolina at Prudential Center on Tuesday night for the second half of this home-and-home.