NEWARK, N.J. -- Johnathan Kovacevic will not play for the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Prudential Center on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MAX, truTV, MSGSN, TBS, SN360, TVAS).
Kovacevic did not return after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the first period of a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 3 on Friday, limiting the Devils to five defensemen for the remaining three-plus periods.
New Jersey trails 2-1 in the best-of-7 series.
Two members of the Devils' undermanned defense corps had notable performances in Game 3; Simon Nemec scored in OT for his first NHL playoff goal and Jonas Siegenthaler logged 27:09 of ice time in his first game since sustaining a lower-body injury Feb. 4.
"I thought [Siegenthaler] really embodied what our team was about [Friday]," Keefe said. "For me, we got what we deserved, which was a win, so I'm super thrilled it worked out the way that it did. I loved a lot of things about our game but mainly, I just learned a lot about our team. That was a hard hockey game out there and our guys just dug in and found a way."
Carolina will attempt to regain the momentum it lost after working to tie the game 2-2 with a pair of power-play goals in the third period.
"We've got to have a better start," Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake said. "I think it was kind of like that for the most part on the road this whole entire year. I don't know what it is really, but we've just got to find a way to really jump on them right away and kind of get that early momentum. I think if we do that, we'll see better results for sure."
Teams that trail 2-1 in a best-of-7 series have an all-time series record of 175-386 (.312), including an 87-249 (.259) mark when starting on the road.
Here is a breakdown of Game 4:
Hurricanes: Despite the Game 3 defeat, Carolina's special teams continue to impress. The Hurricanes went 2-for-4 on the power play and allowed four shots while going 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, including two penalties in the first overtime. Carolina led all teams on the penalty kill during the regular season (83.6 percent) and are 10-for-10 against the Devils, including a short-handed goal by forward Jordan Martinook in a 3-1 win in Game 2. "Obviously our special teams was great," Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. "Really kind of gave us the opportunity to maybe win the game but our 5-on-5 was below average." Goalie Frederik Andersen, with a 1.48 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in three games, is expected to make a fourth straight start. "I mean, if he feels good, there's no reason not to keep putting him in there," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He's playing really well. He gave us a chance yesterday to win that hockey game and that's what you need."
Devils: New Jersey did not practice Saturday. The defense certainly earned some rest following a herculean effort in Game 3: Brian Dumoulin led all Devils defensemen in ice time (36:24), contributed four hits and five blocked shots and was plus-3. Brett Pesce (32:30) had six blocked shots, Dougie Hamilton (31:16) had three hits and three blocked shots and Nemec (22:39) had a team-high five shots on goal. Kovacevik logged six minutes prior to his injury in the first period. Forward Jesper Bratt has three points (one goal, two assists) in a three-game point streak and can become the first Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts player to begin a postseason with a point in four straight games since defenseman Paul Martin (four games) in 2009. Goalie Jacob Markstrom has a 2.08 GAA and .929 save percentage in three games. "'Markie's' been solid," Keefe said. "I think our guys did a really good job [in Game 3] at preventing the high-end, high-danger chances we've given up in some of the previous games, but he was very solid. His puck-moving was great but he's also been a leader for us and it's been that way through the series."
Number to know: 28:21. Average ice time by Dumoulin, who in three games leads all Eastern Conference skaters in that category.
What to look for: How do the Hurricanes re-establish the momentum they may have lost in Game 3 defeat? Can the Devils score a power-play goal?
