The New Jersey Devils are going home after losing in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night. But it wasn’t for lack of effort or heart.
The fact that the series went five games is a statement of how much will and determination it took to force the series to go that far. Most people thought it was going to be a sweep entering the series, considering Jack Hughes was lost for the season. And once Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon, and Johnathan Kovacevic went down to injury, the Devils defense was playing undermanned.
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It was a valiant effort by Brett Pesce, Brian Dumoulin, Dougie Hamilton, and Jonas Siegenthaler to put their bodies on the line every game in front of Jacob Markstrom. Not to mention Markstrom, who was unbelievable all series long for the Devils, especially in Game 5 after the Hurricanes tied it at 4-4 through the double overtime session.
In Game 5, Markstrom faced 54 shots in total, including at one point stopping 30 shots in a row between the tying goal in the 2nd period until Sebastian Aho ended the Devils season in double overtime. Markstrom was willing his team to double overtime. The Hurricanes outshot the Devils 14-3 in the first overtime session and 5-1 in the double overtime session. Not to mention, they controlled the pace of play from the end of the third period on until the game and series were over.
Jacob Markstrom’s acrobatic saves were the only reason why the Devils season in Game 5 went as long as it did. Without Markstrom, the Devils don’t see overtime with the way the Hurricanes kept pressing the issue. As Sheldon Keefe said post-game, he gave the Devils a chance to win and extend the series. Unfortunately, the guys in front of him just ran out of steam.
“It’s obviously not a great feeling, Losing, losing like that. I think everybody competed so hard and worked so hard,” Timo Meier said post-game on Tuesday. “We had a few guys go down in the series; other guys stepped up and battled. I think we can be proud of the way we battle through these adversities, and we’ve got to get better.”
And that has been the story for the Devils all season, right? Just dealing with injuries and adversities from the Christmas Break through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Throughout the year, the Devils saw Jacob Markstrom get injured. Nico Hischier also went down for a short stretch. Jack Hughes was lost for the season. There was a thought that when Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton got hurt, they would be lost for the year.
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However, under Keefe, the Devils showed the next man up mentality and the heart of a champion. Sometimes the results were not there in the win column, but the Devils effort was there, keeping them in every game. Guys like Simon Nemec filled in during the playoffs, scoring a big double overtime goal in Game 3 to extend the series. Dumoulin is coming in at the deadline, filling in on defence in the top four.
From the start of the season, when Pesce and Luke Hughes were dealing with injuries, Kovacevic stepped up to earn his spot and a new deal. Seamus Casey filled in early as a rookie and played better in Game 5 for the Devils. The Devils never went away against an excellent Carolina Hurricanes team when they could have.
“I am super proud the way everyone fought. We faced a ton of adversity guys dug in,” Brett Pesce said post-game on Tuesday. “I mean, we never went away and super proud of them. It’s been awesome going to war with these guys. I was just saying, just so much adversity so many injuries. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. So just super proud of these guys for digging in.”
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That will be the goal for the Devils in the offseason: adding depth on both sides of the puck, as well as finding a goal scorer. Tom Fitzgerald will need to get his team quality NHL depth defensemen to play heavy minutes if players do get injured. Relying on four or five defenseman in the playoffs is not going to work.
While losing is never easy, this is a building block for a team that knows the standard has been raised. Missing the playoffs is no longer acceptable. The goal every year is to make the playoffs and go further than the previous year. Getting back to the playoffs this season was a good first step. Now the New Jersey Devils have to get back there.
In time, the players will realize how proud they should be of having a good season and overcoming so much. The Devils never quit and made the Hurricanes earn the victory in five games.
