From the very drop of the puck, the odds were stacked against the New Jersey Devils. Not only were they without star forward Jack Hughes and key defensemen Jonas Siegenthaler, but Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon were unable to play due to injury as well.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub
Despite this, the Devils played pretty well for the most part, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome the Carolina Hurricanes’ depth as they fell 3-1. They now trail two games to none in the series.
New Aggressive Gameplan
Given the circumstances, it was vital for them to start the game with their foot on the gas, and they did. They outshot Carolina 9-6 in the early going and spent a ton of time in the offensive zone, eventually getting rewarded with a Jesper Bratt rebound goal.
They were essentially beating Carolina at their own game: being relentless on the forecheck and closing quickly on opponents. The issue was that it occasionally led to odd-man rushes, but the Canes fumbled a lot of pucks and didn’t make much of those early opportunities; in the first intermission, Jordan Martinook said the Canes “weren’t ready”.
The Canes got settled as the game went on, but the Devils allowed just one goal at even strength as they excelled defensively. While they didn’t get the result they wanted, it appears this uber-aggressive and gritty playstyle will be their best chance to climb back into the series.
“I thought we had fight all game,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “(We) competed at a very high level. I thought our guys gave it everything they had today and easily could have had this one go the other way, but it’s not the way it worked out.”
Special Teams Battle is Key
It’s been clear from the very beginning that the Devils would have to not just beat, but dominate the Hurricanes in the special teams department if they wanted to win the series. They lost it outright in Game 1, and their execution in Game 2 wasn’t much better. They had two strong penalty kills in the first, but that immediately got overshadowed by a Jordan Martinook shorthanded goal just seconds into the Devils’ first power play. It was his 12th point in seven career playoff games against the Devils.
MARTY. PLAYOFF. MAGIC. pic.twitter.com/52BF1Umb0B
— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 22, 2025
Their second power play wasn’t much better, as the Hurricanes had a couple odd-man rushes but couldn’t convert. The Devils generated virtually nothing on it.
Down one, the Devils got another man advantage with 14:05 left in the third. It looked a lot better as they had a ton of Grade A chances, but Andersen completely stood on his head. The Devils had another good kill a few minutes later, but all in all, it chalked up to another loss in the department.
“We lost the special teams battle two games in a row now,” said Devils’ defenseman Brett Pesce. “In playoffs, the game is so tight five-on-five. You need our special teams to come up big, penalty kill and power play, and we lose the game arguably because of that.”
Hurricanes’ head coach Rod Brind’Amour told The Hockey Writers, “(Special teams) has been the difference, right? Obviously, it was the huge turning point of the game, and I think it always comes down to it one way or another…it’s something we preach all the time. We talk about it a lot; you’ve got to win that special teams battle because it is so important.”
Goaltending Not the Issue
With the overall roster depletion, the Devils are going to need a stellar performance from their goalie every night. It’s almost unfair to ask that much, as even an average showing or slightly above that likely won’t get the job done.
And for a second game in a row, Jacob Markstrom was fantastic, yet the Devils still didn’t get their desired result. He stopped 25 of 27 (.926%) and +2.76 goals above expected, according to MoneyPuck. Pesce told THW, “God, he’s the best. Such a competitor. I haven’t met many people like him, you know, he’s our horse. I love that guy to death. I love going to battle with him, and you (always) know he’s going to come up big, which he has these past two games.”
Markstrom’s 2025 playoff save percentage now stands at .930%, raising his career postseason total to .913%. There’s no doubt that if he continues to play this way, the Devils could still have a shot to bounce back.
Return to Action
Both teams will head to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for Game 3 – Friday at 8:00 PM EDT. “It’s gonna be awesome,” Bratt said to THW. “Obviously, (Lenovo Center) is a loud, good arena to play in but now we’re excited to hear our own fans be loud and give us support.”
It’s a must-win for the Devils, as just four of 211 3-0 deficits in NHL history (1.9%) have been overcome. They overcame a 2-0 deficit to the New York Rangers the last time they were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2023), eventually winning in seven games.
