Devils Look Ahead to Game 5 | NOTEBOOK

After a 6-1 loss on Tuesday night that secured a 3-1 series lead for the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils know Game 5 on Thursday night is a must-win to extend the series.

In a limited skate before Wednesday's flight, nine players participated. Tomas Tatar, Curtis Lazar, Ryan Graves, Luke Hughes, Yegor Sharangovich, Jesper Boqvist, Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid, and Mackenzie Blackwood were on the ice.

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff had an update on Graves who has missed Games 3 and 4 with an upper-body injury.

"He definitely can be an option," Ruff shared Wednesday. "Skating again today. So we'll see tomorrow."

Ruff discussed the plans for the team ahead of Thursday night's game which has an emphasis on rest.

"As disappointing as yesterday was, they have given me everything they had," Ruff said. "We're going to do our best to try to get them as fresh as we can ... In all likelihood, won't skate tomorrow and save everything we got for the game."

Moving Forward

The best way for the Devils to move forward from a 5-1 loss? Putting it the past, according to Erik Haula and Lindy Ruff.

"You clear it by not thinking about it today too much," Haula shared. "We had our video, we had a talk. It was just flat-out embarassing. Huge letdown and we are going to put that behind us, and it's a new day today. We know what the series is, we know where we're going, tough place to play. We're going to have to play our best game of the playoffs."

"We've got to move on," Ruff agreed. "We've got to move on to the next game and know that a lot of the stuff we did in Game 3, the puck support, the pace we played with. We played too slow (in Game 4). We were a step behind and they were a step ahead of us everywhere. Gotta give the compete game to them, (which was) their answer to the way we played on (Sunday). We have to have the same answer for tomorrow."

When it comes to a complete game by the Devils it includes everything from sacrifices to playing as one unit on the ice.

"It's support, it's getting pucks in, it's sacrificing," Haula explained. "It's not giving odd-man rushes, it's staying out of the penalty box. It's tracking back, taking time and space away. We always use the word committed, connected. That's our game. And we've shown it this year, and like I said we're a tough team to beat when we're all on board."

Adjustments

The playoffs are all about adjustments as you're facing the same team in a best-of-seven series. For the Devils, some of the adjustments they'll make to play a stronger game Thursday night, Carolina will anticipate and work to counteract.

"As much as well know about them, they know about us," Ruff said. "So when you're playing that same team there's tendencies that both teams I think would anticipate taking advantage of. When you look at parts of our game that weren't good enough, I'm pretty sure they'll look at it and say, 'hey, they're going to be a lot better.' And we know we have to be better. So we're going to focus on our game and playing fast, supporting the puck a lot better, getting more people around the puck. Because all year long when we've played that way, we've had great success."

Lindy Ruff is not one to reveal who he'll turn to in regards to a goaltender, but that could be another adjustment the Devils make ahead of Game 5. Here's the process Ruff and other members of the organization will go through tonight and tomorrow:

"A discussion that we'll all have," Ruff shared. "We discuss this from game-to-game. We'll have a discussion on what direction we want to go and that's where we'll be at."

Carolina's Strengths

The Devils had one goal on 22 shots in Tuesday's loss and Jesper Bratt attributes some of the struggles New Jersey has had to Carolina executing their systems to the highest level.

"We're playing a really tough team," Bratt shared. "They're probably playing their system the best and the hardest in the league. They've been doing the right thing, they've been hard on us, they've been staying on pucks, they've been tracking extremely hard and making the time and space less and less for us. Obviously I feel like as a whole and as a group, we had a really good Game 3 and I feel like the rest of the series we haven't really got to our edge. Now it's just up to us to find that game again and make sure that we as a whole can all contribute and just being a harder, tougher team than we've been in the last game."

In Game 3, the Devils were able to bring their speed back into the game while counteracting Carolina's pressure. Bratt explained how the Devils were able to control the game more and compete as a five-man unit on the ice.

"In Game 3 we found a way to stretch them out," Bratt said about how the Devils found success against Carolina. "We were skating, we were supporting, and we were helping each other. We were a five-man unit on the ice and I feel like when you're playing against a team like this and you try to make the game individual, then it's going to be a really tough game. We always have to support each other, be close to each other. And then when we are, we stretch them out and then we can start using our speed and our skill so I think that has been the difference."

The lack of secondary opportunities has hurt the Devils and Lindy Ruff shared why he thinks the Devils have seen some players struggle to contribute offensively throughout the playoffs.

"When I look at struggles I look at getting inside, getting around the front of the net," Ruff explained. "Those second opportunities. Sometimes the playoffs are not about easy opportunities. I've said this, we've played two really good defensive teams in back-to-back series. The Rangers were a really good defensive team, and Carolina may be the best team away from the puck. So there's no easy opportunities. So to get your opportunity, you may get your one outside chance, but to get the extra opportunities, you're going to have maybe something go off you. You might have to tip a puck, it may be a rebound."

Today's Videos:

Player Interviews: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23 | Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23

Coach Interview: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23

DEVILS NOW: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23

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WRITTEN:

VIDEO:

• REWIND: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23
• GAME HIGHLIGHTS: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23
• POST-GAME INTERVIEW: Video: Haula | RAW 5.10.23