RALEIGH, NC -- It's a factual statement that the New York Islanders were more physical in their Game 1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, with Lane Lambert's squad outhitting Rod Brind'Amour's 44-39.
But just as we talk quantity over quality with shots on goal, the same can be said for hits.
Out of the 44 hits laid, 17 landed on Hurricanes' defenseman (38.6 percent), which makes sense given the amount of forechecking the Islanders were doing, especially early.
However, as we dive deeper, 11 of those 17 came against the defense pairing of Shayne Gostisbehere and rookie Jalen Chatfield.
Star defenseman Brent Burns, who dominated the Islanders' zone with two assists and six shots, went untouched.
He easily skated through the neutral zone and went anywhere he liked without worry.
Burns' defense partner Jaccob Slavin took four hits.
Heading into the series, the talk from the New York Islanders players and head coach Lane Lambert was how strong Carolina's defense was on both sides of the ice.
The best way to limit transitions or breakouts is, yes, forechecking, which has a lot to do with checking.
Nothing complicated about the game plan, but it's the execution, like everything.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock threw the body around nine times in Game 1 as he had one of the best games of his career, physically. It might have been one of the best all-around games of his career.
The game's opening hit was one of the biggest hits Pulock has ever thrown, destroying Hurricanes' Jack Drury inside Carolina's zone:
"I thought it was the most physical game I've seen him play, and I thought he played amazing," Lambert said postgame.
"It was a great hit from Pulock," Mat Barzal said. "I thought he was our best player last night...by a mile, so the rest of us got to match that."
Pulock did his job in shutting down the Hurricanes five-on-five, but as a defenseman, all of his hits came against forwards, as one would expect.
The rest of his team needs to take a page out of his playbook and go after those shifty defensemen if they want to limit the chances against them.
The Islanders did force 14 turnovers, with six coming from the Hurricanes' backend -- all six coming from the defense pairing of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, per the on-site statisticians.
Burns had around four, but apparently, those went under the radar.
Pesce was on the receiving end of two hits, while Skjei, like Burns, went untouched.
Imagine how many turnovers we would have seen had the bodied been laid more effectively.
While hitting is a physical part of the game, it also impacts the mental aspect.
"It's tough when a team is physical on the forecheck. You really rely on your forwards setting screens to buy you more time to get it under control and get your head up," former Islanders defenseman and current MSG Studio Analyst Thomas Hickey told The Hockey News.
"Some guys rush it, and that's where turnovers happen. The more pressure…the more mistakes. Some guys choose to absorb the hit. And more absorbing in the playoffs for sure."
Hickey continued: "Carolina presents a tough challenge because it's tough to establish a forecheck as they wear you down on your own end, and you're usually changing as you head up ice. They do a great job screening the oncoming forecheckers."
Burns is built to withstand hits, but that doesn't change the need to continue to try and wear him down or disrupt his game.
"Burns is massive, and he can roll off or absorb contact and still make plays," Hickey said. "The Isles will need to find a way to crash and bang more as the series goes on.
Contact on Burns is crucial… but he's built to withstand it."
If hitting Burns isn't ultra-effective, how do the Islanders slow him down?
"We'll, you just have to get in his way somehow," Lambert said. "He's a dynamic player. He's a big guy. He's been doing it for years. So, we just have to make sure you get in his way.
"Because he is so big, it's hard to get him, but you got to stay in front of him."
Catch Thomas Hickey and the rest of the MSG Sports Network crew, as the carry the entirety of this first-round matchup against the Hurricanes.
As mentioned, Burns is not the only player the Islanders need to wear down. It has to be a collective effort by New York against Carolina's roster.
And that's the game the Islanders are built to play.
"We're a team that's built that way, and we need to continue to do that," Pulock said. "Like I said last night, it's a long series, and you need to try to wear them down. I mean, that's one way that you can get an advantage.
"So we're going to just keep playing our game, keep doing those things, and keep trying to find the little areas to get better."
The Hockey News did ask Lambert if he thought his team was physical enough against their defenseman.
"I thought we did a pretty good job, and again, they're mobile, and they're not always an easy target, that's for sure. So give them some credit as well."