Hurricanes Emphatically Force Game 7

It had to be this way -- the most evenly-matched series in the league's opening round, two parallel teams who have been equals in the stat sheet through six games, naturally leads to a Game 7. That fate was sealed for the Hurricanes and Devils after the Hurricanes played near-perfect hockey in dispatching the Devils in front of a thoroughly pleased Carolina crowd that included elite Panthers wideout Steve Smith and Tyler Hansbrough of the national champion Tar Heels.

The 'Canes did their part in living up to the presence of those two, responding to a shutout loss in Game 5 with a forceful effort in which Brent Sutter summed up thusly, "The difference was that one team played like there was no tomorrow and the other didn't."

Hurricanes 4, Devils 0: Recap | Box Score | Sunday's Scores

Sutter offered a painfully honest assessment of his team in his post-game press conference, calling the power play in the series at large "brutal" and openly challenging the play of Zach Parise and Travis Zajac. No doubt, the Devils looked like a complacent and inferior team, and the Hurricanes were ready to knock the Devils off their heels and to the ground.

As a result, the two will face off one more time Tuesday night in New Jersey. Of course, the New York Rangers were forced into a Game 7 earlier Sunday by the Capitals, and that game will take place Tuesday, as well. There will be a lot of chewed fingernails in the homes of New York/New Jersey hockey fans that night.

Unlike the Rangers and Capitals, though, a series which has had each team claim their wins in clusters, the Devils and Hurricanes have alternated victories each game -- four one-goal games bookended by a strong 4-1 win for New Jersey in Game 1 and Sunday's Game 6 -- meaning these teams were destined to go the distance.

That being said, while the series at large is a wash right now, the momentum clearly lies with a Carolina team that had its legs going from the start Sunday night. And there are some disturbing trends for New Jersey that go back even to their Game 5 win, namely an anemic offense (one goal in two games) and the propensity to give up way too many shots (81 Carolina shots).

Yet each team has responded well to adversity in this series, including the Devils. They'll have the home crowd on their side, and a lot of playoff experience on their bench. Then again, so will the Hurricanes, and that's what makes this Game 7 so compelling -- playoff hockey at its best, two good teams going back and forth until Game 7 ends the dance for one of them.