The New Jersey Devils came out of the gates swinging, setting the tone early in their matchup. Just four minutes into the first period, a shot from Brett Pesce found its way through a sea of players, deflecting off Dawson Mercer and past Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to put the Devils on the board. It didn’t take long for them to build on that momentum, as Timo Meier fired a low shot from distance that snuck through Kochetkov’s five-hole just two minutes later. After successfully killing off their first penalty, New Jersey wasn’t done yet. Stefan Noesen redirected Simon Nemec’s shot from the point, stretching the lead to 3–0 by the midway point of the period. The Devils dominated the early action, outshooting Carolina 13–9 in the first twenty minutes, firmly establishing their control of the game.
However, the Hurricanes weren’t about to roll over. Taylor Hall ignited a comeback with a goal in the second period, capitalizing on a chaotic scramble in front of the net. That goal sparked a three-goal barrage within a span of just four minutes, with Jackson Blake and Andrei Svechnikov both getting in on the action, leveling the score at 3–3. Just when it seemed the momentum had fully shifted, Devils’ captain Nico Hischier answered the call, scoring from the right circle to regain the lead. Yet, as the period drew to a close, a critical 5-on-3 situation for Carolina allowed Sebastian Aho to fire a one-timer past New Jersey’s defense, knotting the game once again.
“It’s tough to think about right now,” Hischier said after the game. “We battled our backs off. They gained momentum and we panicked a little. We found ourselves back on our heels.”
Despite the chaotic turns of the game, goaltender Jacob Markstrom stood as a beacon of resilience for the Devils. He came up with some crucial saves late in regulation and throughout overtime, with Carolina ramping up the pressure and outshooting New Jersey 14–3 in the first extra frame. Markstrom was particularly impressive during a frantic stretch from Logan Stankoven, managing to keep the game alive.
“He made some unbelievable saves tonight,” Meier noted. “Not just in this game, but throughout the whole series.”
The second overtime began with an unfortunate turn for the Devils. Dawson Mercer was penalized for a high stick that drew blood on Jesperi Kotkaniemi, leading to a four-minute power play for Carolina. The Hurricanes capitalized on that advantage quickly, scoring before the first penalty expired, which ultimately brought the Devils’ playoff run to a heartbreaking close with a goal from Aho.
“It’s not a great feeling. Losing like that,” Meier reflected. “Everybody competed so hard and worked so hard. We can take pride in how we battled through adversity, but we also need to get better.”
Markstrom, who had been stellar throughout the series, was direct in his post-game assessment.
“It’s tough right now,” he said. “We put up four goals on the road against a good team — we should have brought it home. That should have been enough.”
Head coach Sheldon Keefe commended his players for their grit, especially given the injuries and tough breaks they faced during the series.
“I loved the fight in our team. We competed hard. We fought back and got the lead back,” Keefe explained. “Then they get a long five-on-three. I liked a lot about our game tonight. Our team fought, man. We came out of Game 1 off a rough start and lost Luke and Dilly. We knew they wouldn’t return. Our guys gave everything they had.”
Keefe also highlighted the effectiveness of their power play, noting, “We essentially scored a power-play goal tonight — that’s what you want. The huge one in the first period was big, and in the third, we had a Dougie Hamilton chance in the slot, but it didn’t go in.”
Though the series didn’t conclude in New Jersey’s favor, the effort displayed by the team never wavered.
“It’s a hard league. It’s hard to win,” Meier reflected. “But this group never quit.”
