The New Jersey Devils are set to play Game 2 of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 22. The Devils' goal will be to bounce back after suffering a tough 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1.
The Devils will be shorthanded on their blueline in this contest, as both Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon have been ruled out for the contest. Thus, to avoid going down 2-0 in the series, they are going to need their players to step up. Here are three that need to the most.
Brett Pesce
With Hughes and Dillon out, the Devils will certainly need Pesce to put together a strong performance in Game 2. The Devils will need him to be the steady shutdown defenseman he can be when playing at his best, and he is going to have a lot of responsibility in this matchup.
In Game 1 against the Canes, Pesce recorded an assist and two shots in 23:07 of ice time.
Jacob Markstrom
Markstrom will look to steal Game 2 for the Devils against the Hurricanes with a strong performance. It may be another busy night for the 35-year-old goaltender, given the fact that Devils are dealing with multiple injuries on their blueline. However, he will look to shut the door for New Jersey.
While Markstrom picked up the loss in Game 1, he did his best to keep the Devils in the game, saving 41 out of 44 shots he faced.
Jesper Bratt
The Devils will be looking for Bratt to have a big game against the Hurricanes in Game 2. With Jack Hughes out, Bratt is the Devils' top offensive contributor, so they need him to step up in a big way.
Bratt recorded an assist in the Devils' Game 1 loss to the Hurricanes. Let's see if he can have a multi-point night in Game 2 from here.
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