As Devils offense goes, the team goes

Maybe it was Luke Hughes being inserted in the lineup that made the difference.

Maybe it was playing at Prudential Center -- familiar surroundings for the Devils -- and the good feelings from feeding off their crowd that proved to be the tonic.

Maybe the Devils needed to let it all out after scoring two goals combined in Games 1 and 2 at Raleigh.

Whatever it was, there had to be something to the Devils scoring eight goals in Game 3 of the second-round series Sunday afternoon. They cut their series deficit to 2-1 after an 8-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

You knew it would be the Devils’ day when Timo Meier scored the first goal with 6:02 into the first period. That started all the festivities for what was to come. They scored three goals in the first, two goals in the second and for good measure, three goals in the third.

Talk about a Sunday Funday!

It was the type of day the Devils needed to get back on track. They needed this win or this series was likely going to be over in four or five games. Now, they can say they have a chance. A 2-1 series lead can quickly become an even series on Tuesday night, which is when Game 4 will be played.

There are many reasons to be encouraged about this game. The Devils got back to their identity by forechecking at will. Most importantly, Jack Hughes scored two goals and garnered two assists. The Lady Byng finalist capped off his day with a Gordie Howe hat trick by getting into it with Sebastian Aho, which was good enough for him to get two minutes for roughing.

If Hughes can put many more performances like that, the Devils can win the series.

It won’t be long until he becomes a captain. It’s not just that he is the franchise. It’s because of the way he played like a captain in a game the Devils had to get. He backed it up with his performance in a moment that was searching for him to do something.

The Devils may have figured out how to solve the Hurricanes defense out. Sure, it’s one game, but once the team figures out the other team’s strengths and weaknesses by Game 3, it might mean something. The Hurricanes likely will make some adjustments.

It could be the Devils just needed to get their legs back after an emotional series against the Rangers that took the life out of them. It’s hard to get into the next series after the Devils put so much out of their soul against a hated rival. Also, the first two games turned out to be a feeling-out process, so it was hard to make up anything in this series.

Let’s face it: Winning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is not easy. Every game of a series has its own meaning. It takes so much mental toughness to win multiple rounds.

For a young team like the Devils, this is new territory for them. They are learning how to handle the highs and lows of playoff hockey for the first time. They can only learn through experience. Making the adjustment from an emotional series against the Rangers to a playoff series, which they have no history with their opponent was going to be tough.

Game 3 would have been a telling sign of what this series was going to be. This was more about the Devils than the Hurricanes. The Devils had to show once again they can handle being punched and standing up, and they did here.

Now, they have to do it again and then find a way to do this at Raleigh, which is where Game 5 takes place Thursday night.

The Devils can still win the series. They should since they have more offensive firepower than the Canes. They have shown that all season. The first two games of the second-round series do not reflect the Devils. Plus, no one will confuse the Hurricanes with those great defensive Devils teams.

The Hurricanes are beatable. The Islanders should have and could have taken them to seven games in their first-round best-of-seven series against them. There’s no reason to think the Devils can’t do the same.

If the offense can get it going as it did on Sunday, everything changes for the Devils. It’s hard to believe this offense was going to struggle for this long prior to Game 3.

Much can be said about the goaltending change with Vitek Vanecek starting this game after first-round series hero Akira Schmid struggled by giving up seven goals in the first two games of the series, but that’s looking way too much into it.

It was the offense that got it going, which made Vanecek’s job easy.

The Devils will go as far as the offense takes them. That’s their identity from what we saw this season and in the playoffs so far. There’s no secret about that.

Maybe Game 3 can be what gets the Devils and their offense going.

You can read Leslie's Jersey Sporting News columns on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.