- The Devils knew what to expect from the Hurricanes. And they came as advertised. Carolina used its speed, dominated in the offensive zone with combination of forecheck and smart pinching defensemen and won a majority of the puck races and battles. The first period (more on that below) was a clinic on how to execute a system and tilt the ice in your favor. The Devils did manage to gain some momentum on occasion with chances and offensive zone pressure, but weren't able to convert enough goals for it to make a difference in the game.
"The difference was they were on top of their game," forward Jesper Bratt said. "They played their structure better than us. And their compete was harder."
- An unfortunate turn of events led to Carolina's third goal (Kotkaniemi) that put this game out of reach for New Jersey. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler lost his helmet during a scrum in the corner. Per NHL rules, he needed to leave the ice immediately. As he headed to the bench, his man - Kotkaniemi - was left unattended at the side of the net and scored to make it a 3-0 lead for the Canes.
- Goaltender Akira Schmid was pulled just 1:55 into the second period after allowing three goals on 11 shots. The move had the intended affect as New Jersey showed some punch back after the switch. Vitek Vanecek entered the game in relief and stopped 10 of 11 shots against.
"That's how it goes sometimes. I thought it was the right move," Schmid said of the change. "Give the team something different. And V played amazing. So, it was the right play."
- Defenseman John Marino had himself a game. In the opening minutes he blocked a shot by Martin Necas, Carolina's leading scoring during the regular season, that would have easily gone into an empty net with Schmid out of position. In the second period, as Vanecek ventured too far out of his net, Marino's stick denied Necas on a wraparound chance that would also have been an assured goal. He's been the team's top shutdown defenseman this postseason, and he showed why.
- One could expect the first period to be lopsided in favor of Carolina. The Devils were coming off an emotional high in a do-or-die Game 7 against their most hated rival (New York Rangers). A letdown was to be expected at the start. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes, with their fans at home in a Game 1, were expected to be revved up and hot to start.
That being said, the period was even more lopsided than could be expected. The Devils managed just one shot on goal - and even that was a backhand lobbed dump that just happened to go on goal. New Jersey didn't have a single shot from the offensive zone nor have any sustained pressure. And during the opening 20 minutes, Carolina scored two goals and skated circles around a fast Devils club in the offensive zone. The Canes had more goals, 2, than the Devils had shots, 1.
"Coming off a huge emotional win, quick turnaround," Ruff said. "You look at the energy they came out with. They backed us into a corner right away. We didn't execute. You have to give them a lot of credit. They created a lot of pressure. Their D were heavily involved on their forecheck. We just didn't win enough of those 50-50 puck battles in the first period."
"We didn't get to our game," Bratt said. "We were a little sloppy on pucks. We were slow getting on pucks and supporting each other. When you're not supporting each other and skating against a team like this, it's going to be a hard, tough game and you're not going to create too much."
- The Devils were without the forward Timo Meier for the game. He suffered a high hit in the third period of Game 7 against the New York Rangers by Jacob Trouba. Though he did take part in rushes during the morning skate, he was a scratch for the game. He's listed as day-to-day.
