The New Jersey Devils took on the Carolina Hurricanes on April 20 for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Devils performed poorly in this game and fell 4-1 to the Hurricanes.
Devils Were Outshot by Carolina
Just two minutes into the first period, Jalen Chatfield put Carolina on the board. This was the only goal of the first period, but the first 20 minutes came to a close with the Hurricanes having 17 shots on net to the Devils’ five.
In the second period, the Hurricanes found the back of the net twice in their 21 shot attempts, including a power-play goal for the home team. The Devils only had eight shot attempts in the second period, but they finally got a goal. Jesper Bratt passed the puck across the ice to Nico Hischier, who skated it to the Devils’ offensive zone. With a masterful shot, he made sure the Devils got on the board with just a minute left to go in the second period.
Related: Devils’ Sheldon Keefe Admits Share of Blame After Brutal Game 1 Loss
The Devils finally had more shots than Carolina in the third, taking 11 shots compared to the Hurricanes’ seven. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes made the most of their chances, scoring their fourth and final goal of the game in the third period.
Overall, the Devils were outshot by the Hurricanes, 45 to 24. While the number of shots doesn’t always matter, Carolina made the most of its chances here; the final result displayed that. The Devils need to step up their shot performance if they want a real shot against Carolina.
Devils’ Defense Needs to Step Up
On both of Logan Stankoven’s second-period goals, the defense was not up to par. His first goal was preventable if only Hischier could have touched the puck first. It was loose behind the net, and although Hischier tried to gain control of it, the Hurricanes did before he could. Taylor Hall passed it to Stankoven, who took the shot right as Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes came up on either side of him in an attempt to defend him.
With Stankoven’s second goal of the game, the Hurricanes were on the power play. The Devils were down a man, but this is when the defense needs to step up even more. Stankoven had the puck alone at the faceoff circle, and although Cody Glass skated up to try and defend him, Stankoven was quicker, firing the puck into the back of the net.
The same could be said for Andrei Svechnikov’s empty net goal. Luke Hughes just came onto the ice and was in front of Svechnikov, trying to get the puck away from him. Svechnikov had a wide, yawning cage in front of him and took the shot to put the game away for Carolina.
The Devils left Jacob Markstrom out to dry. Although he allowed three goals, he earned a save percentage (SV%) of .932 for stopping 41 of 44 shots. He did his best, but the rest of the team must also show up on the ice. The Devils are not only lacking in offense, but they are also lacking in defense.
Devils Cannot Afford Any More Injuries
The Devils are already down arguably their strongest player, Jack Hughes, who underwent shoulder surgery earlier in the regular season, ending his season for the entirety of the 2024-25 season. On top of this, they lost Jonas Siegenthaler on Feb. 4 due to a lower-body injury, and there is still no update on his return.
In this game, the Devils lost Brenden Dillon after he took a hard fall in the second period. He did not return for the third period. On the same play, they lost defenseman Luke Hughes and forward Cody Glass. Hughes took a hard fall and was holding his arm, immediately heading down the tunnel. Glass was in Markstrom’s line of fire, and Markstrom hit Glass with his stick. Hughes returned to the ice to finish the third period, but Glass did not.
The Devils lost three strong players in Game 1. Hopefully, they are all right and will be back in the lineup for Tuesday. With New Jersey already dealing with several injuries, they cannot afford to lose any more players if they intend to continue their playoff push.
Devils Will Try Again on Tuesday
The Devils and the Hurricanes will play again on Tuesday, April 22, at 6:00 P.M. EDT.
