It was the question on the minds of every Devils fan entering Game 1: which Devils team would show up? The one that dominated the league early in the calendar year, or the one that looked sluggish and uninspired through March? Though the team outplayed the Hurricanes from the start of their first contest, the question wasn't answered emphatically until the third period.
With a 3-0 lead halfway through the frame, the Hurricanes caught every Devil on the ice sleeping -- including Martin Brodeur -- to narrow the gap to 3-1. Facing their first sign of adversity in the game, it was interesting to see how a team which hasn't handled adversity very well recently would respond. Thirty seconds later, Jamie Langenbrunner buried the response right past Cam Ward.
While it was nice for Devils fans to see their team race out early, the playoffs are never free of tough times, and this is a Devils team that has folded under pressure for the last six weeks. Eventually, they would face a test, and they'd have to prove that they could pass it.
Earlier in the day, Devils beat writer Tom Gulitti told FanHouse that the Devils' fate in this first round would depend on how they performed in this game, questioning their ability to shake off a bad performance in this first contest. The Devils of March would have given up that first goal, fallen apart, and let the Hurricanes back into the game. It would have been a slippery slope of here we go agains that would have breathed new life into this Carolina team.
The Devils of April 15? They came right out on the next shift, worked hard, got that goal back, and continued to step on the Hurricanes' throat, all the way through the final seconds. While that Hurricanes goal will hardly be the toughest of tests in this playoff season, it was the first and only one we have to judge them by so far. And their response points to good signs for this Devils team.
As for the Hurricanes, there were no good signs emerging from New Jersey. They were outplayed through and through. New Jersey never let Carolina get their power play going (and only took two penalties in the contest), and out-chanced the 'Canes, 25-7. In other words? An embarrassment. The Devils wouldn't let one goal change that.
