RALEIGH, N.C. -- The New Jersey Devils will be without Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon when they try to even the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Game 2 on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
Each defenseman was injured in Game 1 on Sunday, a 4-1 Hurricanes victory that gave Carolina a 1-0 series lead.
Dillon was pushed awkwardly to the ice by Hurricanes forward William Carrier at 11:35 of the second period and never returned; Hughes left the game at 8:36 of the third after taking a hit to the shoulder and he also left for the locker room, but did return at 15:32.
"We'll have to get back to Jersey after today and see where they're at, but they'll be out tonight," Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday.
Defensemen Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski each will make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut for New Jersey.
Cody Glass will also play; the center did not return after taking an inadvertent stick to the legs from New Jersey goalie Jacob Markstrom at 8:36 of the third period in Game 1.
"Obviously [Markstrom] felt really bad with what happened but it's hockey," Glass said. "Things happen quickly, so it's all good."
Frederik Andersen will start after making 23 saves for Carolina in Game 1. It will mark the first time the 35-year-old goalie will make consecutive starts this season. Andersen missed 39 games because of a knee injury that required surgery Nov. 22.
Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-7 series own an all-time series record of 353-56 (.863), including a 266-34 (.887) mark when starting at home.
Here is a breakdown of Game 2:
Devils: New Jersey conducted a full morning skate Tuesday after taking Monday off to rest and reset after the loss in Game 1. The Hurricanes outscored (3-0) and outshot (32-21) the Devils at 5-on-5 and denied them on two power-play chances. During the regular season, New Jersey had the third best power play in the NHL at 28.2 percent. Keefe stressed the importance of cleaner breakouts as one of the keys to generating success in Game 2. "When you don't get out and get through against these guys, they turn on you, and they can turn it into a barrage of chances or shots against," Keefe said. Markstrom said he is looking forward to the challenge Game 2 presents after making 41 saves Sunday.
Hurricanes: Forward Taylor Hall, who had two assists in Game 1, was the only player not to practice Monday. Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said the absence was "just to give him a rest." The two forward lines that consistently pinned the Devils deep in Game 1 were Jesperi Kotkaniemi centering left wing Andrei Svechnikov and Hall (four points; one goal, three assists, 12 shots), and Jack Roslovic centering left wing Carrier and Eric Robinson (two assists, eight shots, 14 hits). "They gave it to us pretty good from shot attempts and scoring chances," Keefe said. The Hurricanes, who had the second-ranked penalty-kill during the regular season (87.7 percent), went 2-for-2 against the Devils.
Number to know: 1. Number of shots on goal the Devils took on two power-play chances in Game 1. The Hurricanes had three shots on goal while short-handed.
What to look for: Can New Jersey find a way to break out of its end and sustain more offensive-zone time to create greater scoring opportunities? Will Carolina be able to duplicate the type of effort it delivered in Game 1?
