Another tale of double overtime.
This time, the New Jersey Devils were on the wrong side of it.
The Devils’ season came to an end in Raleigh, suffering a 5-4 2OT loss against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I’m real proud,” Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said post-game. “To come out fighting, come out swinging. We weren’t here to go away quietly. This is a tough building to play in, a very hard team to play against. Our team fought.”
It was all Devils in the opening frame.
Former Hurricane Brett Pesce, who was a game-time decision, put a shot on net with traffic in front, hitting off Dawson Mercer in the process for the early 1-0 lead.
Just under two minutes later, Pesce found a waiting Timo Meier, who wristed the puck in from outside the left circle, beating goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov clean in front.
Right as time expired on the first Devils power play of the night, Stefan Noesen resumed his spot in front of the net, redirecting the puck in for a crucial 3-0 lead.
Inconsistency continued to loom for the Devils as the Canes responded in the second with three goals in just over four minutes.
Taylor Hall got on the board in a similar fashion to the previous Devils goal, scoring as time expired on the man advantage.
Shortly after, Jackson Blake wrapped the puck around Jacob Markstrom, squeezing the puck in through his right arm to get Carolina right back into the game.
The hits kept on coming for New Jersey.
Andrei Svechnikov continued his hot hand, scoring on the Canes’ third shot of the third period to tie the game up at three apiece.
Captain Nico Hischier temporarily halted the influx of goals, streaking in through center ice and wristing a shot in for a 4-3 lead.
Two detrimental tripping penalties gave the Hurricanes 54 seconds of a 5 on 3, where Sebastian Aho went to work once again finding the equalizer.
Desperation set in for the Devils in the final period.
A hooking call and interference sent the Devils to the power play twice in the third, but special teams continued to struggle against the dominant Canes penalty kill.
“That’s why we lost the series for sure,” Hischier said regarding special teams. “We couldn’t get the power play going. That’s on those guys, including me, that are on the ice. That’s definitely frustrating.”
With the clock winding down, both teams were desperate for the go-ahead goal.
The Devils hung on amidst the strong Canes surge in the third, forcing overtime, where Carolina continued to dominate in every aspect of the game.
Markstrom was phenomenal in net, making numerous highlight-reel saves to ultimately push double overtime.
An unfortunate follow-through play from Mercer resulted in a double minor high-sticking call.
The Devils’ penalty kill went to work, successfully eating pucks and was moments away from escaping unscathed.
However, it was Aho who found an opening, firing a slap shot from the right circle, beating Markstrom and ending the Devils season.
It was a tough year for the organization.
Down their star center, three of their core defenseman and two defensemen rushed back from injury for the playoffs; the Devils’ push was commendable.
“It’s been awesome going to war with these guys,” Pesce said. “So much adversity, so many injuries. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. I’m super proud of these guys for digging in. I’m already excited for next year because playoff experience matters a ton.”
Although the outcome was disappointing for the team and the fanbase, there is hope for next year, where a healthy roster will be waiting and eager to write a different fate.
