The New Jersey Devils were eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday night after a 5-4 double overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The series only lasted five games, with the Game 3 heroic victory off the stick of Simon Nemec being the only one in the win column.
What made this game worse was that the Devils had a 3-0 lead after the first period, courtesy of goals by Dawson Mercer, Timo Meier, and Stefan Noesen. The Hurricanes led a comeback in the second period, tying the game at three pretty quickly. Nico Hischier put the Devils ahead again, but the Canes tied it shortly thereafter.
When there were no goals in the third period, the game went into overtime. After Jacob Markstrom put on a show, making every stop in the first overtime session, it went to double overtime, where the Canes scored on the power play to end the series.
While you could argue that Jacob Markstrom let them back into the game with two goals he should have had, he relaxed and tried to help the Devils keep the game tied. We want to be blunt here: Jacob Markstrom should not be to blame for the Devils' season ending before May. Even though he did give up the game-winning goal, there are plenty of people to call out for this loss rightfully.
Injuries and Defense
It comes as no surprise to anyone that the injury to Jack Hughes reduced the Devils' chances of winning the series, let alone the Stanley Cup. However, in the playoffs, other key injuries could’ve helped the Devils in this series or matchup.
The Brenden Dillion and Luke Hughes injuries in Game 1 hurt them so much going into these next games, as well as losing Johnathan Kovacevic in Game 3. These injuries impacted the defense, as without them, Carolina was able to skate around with ease in Games 1, 2, 4, and 5.
Sure, guys like Simon Nemec helped, but Carolina had a much better forecheck and game plan throughout the entire series, which allowed Markstrom to stay out of pressure constantly. They were completely healthy, except for the injury to Fredrik Anderson in Game 4, and their defensemen, who are much better in their position. The veteran leadership also worked well for them.