It happened again. The New Jersey Devils failed to score a power-play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving them scoreless with the man advantage for the entire series. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have scored four times on the power play. Heck, the Canes even have a shorthanded goal to their credit. That means the Canes hold a 5-0 advantage in special-teams goals in just four games.
They are 0-12 on the PP in four games. They are the only team in the league with zero power-play goals in the playoffs. Every single other team has a power-play goal. Every one! We can’t stress this enough: the Devils have been awful on the power play.
Yes, the injury to Luke Hughes really made things hard for them, but they did get Dougie Hamilton back, which should be a 1-1 replacement. They also have Simon Nemec back in the lineup, who has been decent on the power play in his time. There’s no excuse for the power play to be this bad.
Even in those 12 opportunities, the Devils only have 2.73 xGF according to Natural Stat Trick. That is good for seventh out of the 16 playoff teams, but it's not like they've been terrible at getting chances. They have 12 high-danger chances, which is third in the NHL. The fact that they haven't scored is a little unlucky, and a lot is Freddie Andersen is playing well.
The Devils are about to go home because their special teams have been terrible
However, facts are facts. There is a five-goal differential in special teams between the Devils and Hurricanes, and it's a large reason why this series is 3-1 for the Hurricanes, with both teams going back to Carolina. It just seems like the Devils can't stop the Canes with the man advantage. It's a rough situation for this team.
Of course, injuries are a part of this. They are missing Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes, two important pieces on the power play. Right now, Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic are out of the lineup and missing on the penalty kill. Injuries are an issue, but the problems with special teams is extreme. It's beyond injuries at this point.
There's a trope that the referees don't call penalties in the playoffs, and there have been some plays that the refs let go, but there are plenty of penalties being called, even in overtime. The Devils' inability to put the puck in the net on the power play and keep it out on the other side is the difference in the series.