New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt was held to only one goal in the team's series versus the New York Rangers. Even though he was offensively quiet, he found other ways to contribute.

The New Jersey Devils will begin their Round 2 series versus the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, May 3, at PNC Arena. It marks the fifth time they will face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the first time since the 2008-09 season. 

The team's first-round series victory versus the New York Rangers was filled with unsung heroes, including Akira Schmid, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Michael McLeod. The Devils depth players rose to the occasion against their Hudson River Rivals while some of their star players found other ways to contribute. 

Nico Hischier did not score a goal but led his team in the assist category with five, while Timo Meier found himself in the role of the series villain and played it to perfection. As my colleague, Jonny Lazarus, pointed out, there may not have been a more effective player with zero points than Meier.

One player whose performance left some fans wanting more was Jesper Bratt. He scored his first goal of the postseason, an empty netter, with 3:20 remaining in Game 7 and finished the series with four points. 

Ahead of Game 7, head coach Lindy Ruff met with the media on April 30 and talked about Bratt's postseason performance. 

"(There) was an opportunity this morning to meet with him about a couple of his plays when he was going real well, and this was the mentality and just sent him home with a couple of thoughts."

Even though his lone goal in Round 1 was an empty netter, it was a confidence boost for the 24-year-old. 

"For myself to get on the board was obviously a little confidence booster and get that out of the way, and now we can really get to work," Bratt told attending media before flying to Raleigh.  

The good news for Bratt is that he recently performed well against the Hurricanes. He had four goals and six points in his last four regular-season meetings. In his last game versus Carolina on March 12, he tallied two goals and, in his career, has six goals and four assists in 16 games versus his club's Round 2 opponent. 

Even if the Stockholm native struggles to capitalize on his offensive opportunities, he knows he can contribute in other ways. 

"It's about playoffs, and it's about winning games. I feel like even though I didn't get on the scoresheet, I found ways to help the team to win games and win the series," he said. "Maybe it's helping the team being on the ice when the other team's best lines are (out) and making sure they don't score. ...Obviously, for myself, it's a boost to score that kind of goal, but it's about winning games."

According to Statmuse, he had eight hits and three blocked shots in their series versus the Rangers. There were moments where he was in perfect defensive position to help his goaltender Akira Schmid and his seven takeaways were tied for the team lead with Jack Hughes and John Marino. 

Mike Morreale of NHL.com reported that Bratt is expected to be on the team's top line with Tomas Tatar and Hischier for Game 1. The Swede will look to make a positive impact and help get his team an early series lead in Carolina.