INSIDE HOCKEY

Why New Jersey won: Apparently the Devils didn’t get the memo that when you lose a player such as Jamie Langenbrunner you’re not supposed to win. Without their captain the Devils were able to kill off five power plays, including a 5-3 advantage for Carolina in the second period. Zach Parise had a strong game as he scored the first Devil goal on a beautiful deflection and then assisted on the game winner in overtime by Travis Zajac. The Devils were at times sloppy but they also did what they do best and that was capitalizing on their opponents mistakes.

Why Carolina lost: Karma? The Hurricanes won game two in OT on a goal from someone who didn’t score once during the season, good luck like that always comes back around. Going 0 for 5 on the power play doesn’t help much either. The Devils second goal of the game, late in the first by Brian Gionta was due to his hard work and a bad turnover by the Canes. Mistakes like that against the Devils usually lead to a goal. Both teams seemed evenly matched again but a few Caroline mistakes proved costly.

Key Moment: There were allot of key moments in this game, the 5-3 advantage for Carolina was one of them. But the OT winner set up by the talented Parise has got to be it. Parise gained the Carolina zone with speed and while Zajak was heading to the net Parise fired a shot at Cam Ward, the rebound was then shot into the back of the net by Zajak and New Jersey had their 2-1 series lead.

What's next for both teams: With the Devils winning the first game in Carolina the home ice edge is lost for the Canes. The pressure is right back on Carolina; the last thing Paul Maurice wants to see is his team go down 3-1 to the Devils. Carolina has proven they can play with New Jersey but they must eliminate some of their mistakes if they are going to tie this series up.