Hurricanes vs. Devils playoff preview

by Dirk Hoag on Apr 14, 2009 10:43 PM EDT

The Blogs

The Carolina Hurricanes roared into the postseason going 9-2 over thier final 11 games. And their reward? A date with the Devils, a squad that has cruised along near the top of the Eastern Conference for most of the season, with or without a healthy Martin Brodeur.

The Storyline

After failing to reach the playoffs in the two seasons after their 2006 Stanley Cup championship, are the Hurricanes ready to make a postseason impression once again?

The Numbers

	Carolina		New Jersey
Record	45-30-7	11th	51-27-4	5th
Pts %	.591	11th	.646	5th
Goals For/Game	2.88	16th	2.90	14th
Goals Against/Game	2.70	8th	2.52	4th
5-on-5 GF/GA	1.00	16th	1.25	2nd
PP%	18.7	18th	18.9	15th
PK%	80.4	19th	79.9	20th
Shots/Game	32.6	6th	32.9	4th
Shots Against/Game	29.5	12th	29.5	12th
FO %	51.3	8th	51.3	8th

The most significant difference between these two teams is the 5-on-5 Goals For/Against ratio, which tips heavily in New Jersey's favor.

Goaltending

Carolina

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Michael Leighton	19	1029	6	7	2	1	50	2.92	507	457	.901	0
2008 - Cam Ward	68	3928	39	23	5	10	160	2.44	1901	1741	.916	6

New Jersey

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Martin Brodeur	31	1814	19	9	3	2	73	2.41	870	797	.916	5

Penalties

No OtF preview would be complete without a look at Penalty Plus/Minus, to see which players will head to, or send other players to, the box:

Carolina	Penalties Drawn			New Jersey Devils	Penalties Drawn
Player	Draws	Fouls	Pen +/-	Player	Draws	Fouls	Pen +/-
Erik Cole	49	25	+24	David Clarkson	46	46	0
Eric Staal	45	24	+21	Mike Rupp	39	39	0
Tuomo Ruutu	40	37	+3	Zach Parise	32	12	+20
Tim Gleason	30	28	+2	Patric Elias	29	16	+13
Chad LaRose	26	16	+10	Jamie Langenbrunner	25	25	0
Ray Whitney	23	16	+7	Dainius Zubrus	21	27	-6
	Penalties Taken				Penalties Taken
Tuomo Ruutu	40	37	+3	David Clarkson	46	46	0
Joni Pitkanen	13	30	-17	Mike Rupp	39	39	0
Tim Gleason	30	28	+2	Bobby Holik	13	33	-20
Erik Cole	49	25	+24	Bryce Salvador	16	30	-14
Eric Staal	45	24	+21	Dainius Zubrus	21	27	-6
Niclas Wallin	8	21	-13	Jamie Langenbrunner	25	25	0

This area is very interesting, in that Carolina led the NHL with 374 power play opportunities over the course of the season, while New Jersey was dead last with only 307.

The Prediction

This is a tough series to call, as I'm inclined to minimize the season-long statistical advantage enjoyed by New Jersey due to the way Carolina has played of late, particularly after re-acquiring winger Erik Cole at the trade deadline. In the New Jersey net, Brodeur has had a few substandard efforts down the stretch, and may not yet be in top form due to the injury which kept him out of action for almost four months. If he struggles, how quickly will Brent Sutter yank him? Too slow, I'm guessing, and I'm calling for a Carolina Hurricanes upset here.