Canes will try to keep it simple

Canes defenseman Tim Gleason has an opinion on how to beat the New Jersey Devils tonight at home, at the RBC Center.

In short, treat it like a road game.

"I think if we play it simple, almost like a road game, we're better off," Gleason said today after the pregame skate. "I think sometimes at home, you get a little flashy at times.

"I think if we just keep things simple and keep doing what we've been doing, working and competing and looking out for each other, I think we're going to come out with a good result."

The Devils have been on a roll, going 16-5-1 in their last 22 games. They've won their last two and four of the last five.

"We know they're a good, all-around, hard-working team," Gleason said. "Especially the defensive zone, the neutral zone, is very good. They're a very disciplined team all around the ice.

"There's not a weak line on this team. They have four strong lines and they compete every night. That's why you see them up in the standings every year."

"This is huge game for us. We want to continue our winning streak. We're having fun."

Canes coach Paul Maurice said it would take another grinding performance, patient on offense and with relentless work on defense, to beat the Devils and push the winning streak to four games. Rarely, he said, do you see teams streaking the puck down the ice or a lot of fancy passing and play-making against New Jersey.

"A number of the teams (like) Boston, they're all part of this Montreal-(New) Jersey influence that do a really good job of taking away the middle of the ice. You rarely see any odd-man rushes or plays to be made in the offensive zone from the tops of the circles across. There's just not a lot of seams out there, which means you get to a kind of grinding, put-the-puck-at-the-net game and feed off rebounds."

"This should be a benefit to us because we've played a number of these teams recently. We won't have to re-sell an idea we haven't had to sell for a while."