Everyone relax! It’s just Game 1 of the 2025-26 regular season. It’s not like the Carolina Hurricanes have had the New Jersey Devils’ number for the last several seasons, right?
Well, no. The Devils have lost their last 10 games to the Hurricanes in their barn, including last night’s 6-3 defeat after a third-period collapse. It was a reminder of how things went in the spring when the Canes eliminated the Devils in the first round 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to beat them in this rink if we want to do anything good this year,” Dougie Hamilton said after Thursday’s loss.
READ MORE: Devils Surrender Tie Thrice, Hurricanes Suffocate; Drop Season Opener
After tying the game three times by the halfway point of the third period, the floodgates opened late in the final frame after Seth Jarvis scored twice, once in the empty net, and Eric Robinson added the insult, scoring once more after Jacob Markstrom returned to the empty-net.
The Devils kept it close, although the Hurricanes hit five posts. The game wasn’t all that close, despite the score indicating it was through the first 50ish minutes.
So, what can the Devils do to overcome their division rival?
Tighten Up Defensively
It seemed like at any point in last night’s game, the Devils found themselves hemmed in their own zone, chasing pucks, and falling further behind in the shot differential.
On more than one occasion, they were minus-nine shots, before fighting their way back to close the shot gap.
The Devils made Markstrom work last night. Before the third period, the Swedish netminder stopped over two goals above expected as Carolina continued to pour on the pressure.
The fact of the matter is the Hurricanes were awarded far too many chances inside and below the dots. The Devils need to do a much better job at pushing their opponents to the perimeter and limiting them to low-danger shot chances, as opposed to the bevy of grade-A chances they received on Thursday.
Match the Work Ethic
This isn’t to say the Devils didn’t work hard, the Hurricanes just worked harder. Yes, it was their building. And sure, their reputation is exactly that, the hardest working team as a unit. However, the Devils can certainly match the ethic, especially given that they have more star power.
“It’s what you expect when you play Carolina in terms of the pressure and all that,” Keefe explained. “It’s a tough assignment coming in here for their home opener. It’s a major about face from preseason to this. But no, I like the fight of our guys to keep coming back. But you know, we were the second best team all night long. So the result is appropriate. We have lots to work on to keep getting better.”
Straight lines, sprint to every puck, win your battles. They’re cliché, but it’s true. Carolina executed those little details to perfection. The Devils… didn’t. And that was the difference.
Reasons for Optimism
Like Keefe explained, seeing the Devils tie the game three times showed some fight.
Yes, it’s a negative that they surrendered four leads. However, they at least fought for 80% of the game to stay in it.
One of the goals for general manager Tom Fitzgerald had on his checklist for the summer was to shore up the depth scoring. Insert Keefe’s desire to improve their 5-on-5 scoring, there’s reason to be optimistic about Thursday’s offense.
The Devils’ three goals came from three different positions in their depth chart. The blueline notched their first tally, a goal by Dougie Hamilton. The bottom-six tied the game for a second time, a howitzer by Cody Glass. And the Devils’s top line scored a beautiful goal on the rush, capped off by Jesper Bratt midway through the third period.
Fitzgerald question what depth scoring was last May. Receiving goals from up and down the lineup certainly fits the description.
Cause for Concern
Again, there’s no sounding the alarm yet. It’s only Game 1. But, one of the most glaring issues in Thursday’s loss was the Devils’ power play.
Even if the Devils didn’t necessarily deserve to be as close as they were through 50 minutes, if the power play was at all effective, they might have even won the game.
Instead, they went 0/3 on their opportunities, and were even out-chanced 2-1, with the Hurricanes earning more scoring opportunities than the Devils while down a man.
And this ties into the second point made above. The Hurricanes don’t take any shifts off. The Devils can’t afford to, either.
