3 key points of the Devil's 4-1 loss to the Hurricane in Game 1 – Hockey Writer – New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils competed in the Carolina Hurricanes on April 20 for the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Devils did poorly in this game and beat the Hurricanes 4-1.
The Devil in Carolina is better than
Just two minutes into the first phase, Jalen Chatfield placed the Carolina board on the board. It was the only goal for the first stage, but the first 20 minutes were about to end, and the Hurricane scored a 17-point shot on the ball, hitting the Devil's five.
In the second phase, the Hurricanes found the back of net rebounds twice in 21 shooting attempts, including a powerful goal from the home team. The Devils had only eight shot attempts in the second phase, but they finally got a goal. Jesper Bratt passed the puck to Nico Hischier, who slid it into the devil's offensive zone. With his superb shot, he made sure the Devil had one minute left to the board with the second stage.
Related: Sheldon Keefe of the Devil
The Devil finally shot bigger than Carolina in the third inning, hitting 11 goals compared to the Hurricane's 7. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes took full advantage of their opportunity to score the fourth and final goal of the game in the third stage.
Overall, the devil was beaten by the hurricane at a rate of 45 to 24. While the number of shots isn't always important, Carolina is making the most of its opportunities here. The final result shows this. If the Devil wants to make a real shot at Carolina, he needs to improve his shooting performance.
The devil's defense needs to be stepped up
In Logan Stankoven's second cycle goals, defenses failed to meet the standards. If only Hischier can hit the hockey first, his first goal is preventable. It was loose behind the net, and despite Hischier trying to control it, the Hurricane did it when he could. Taylor Hall passed it to Stankoven, who threw a gun to the right, with Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes standing on both sides of him, trying to defend him.
With Stankoven's second match goal, the Hurricane is playing a strong match. The devil is trapped in a man's situation, but this is a time when the defense needs to strengthen it further. Stankoven was alone in the confrontation circle and although Cody Glass skated to defend him, Stankoven was faster, launching the puck behind the net.
Andrei Svechnikov's air-purification target can be said the same. Luke Hughes just arrived on the ice and was right in front of Svechnikov, trying to keep the puck away from him. Svechnikov had a wide yawning cage in front of him and filmed the Carolina game.
The devil has dried Jacob Markstrom. Although he allowed three goals, he won 41 of his 44 shots with a ratio of 0.932 (SV%). He did his best, but the rest of the team had to show up on the ice, too. The Devil lacks not only offense, but also defense.
The devil can't be hurt anymore
The Devils are arguably their strongest player, Jack Hughes, who had shoulder surgery earlier in the regular season and ended the entire 2024-25 season. Most importantly, they lost Jonas Siegenthaler on February 4 due to a low body injury, but his return is still not updated.
In this game, the Devil lost Brenden Dillon after falling into trouble in the second phase. He did not return in the third phase. In the same game, they lost defender Luke Hughes and forward Cody Glass. Hughes was in trouble, holding his arm and immediately drove along the tunnel. Glass in the line of fire in Markstrom, who hits the glass with a stick. Hughes returned to the ice to complete the third phase, but Grass didn't.
The Devil lost three strong men in Game 1. Hopefully they are OK and will return to the roster on Tuesday. Since New Jersey has suffered several injuries, they will not be able to lose any more players if they intend to continue the playoffs.
The devil will try again on Tuesday
The Devil and Hurricane will be broadcast again on Tuesday, April 22 at 6:00 pm ET.
