On Tuesday evening, the New Jersey Devils headed south to try to keep their season alive as they were down three games to one against the Carolina Hurricanes. With their backs against the wall, the Devils’ strong start wasn’t enough to push them past the Hurricanes, who won 5-4 in double overtime (OT) on a Sebastian Aho goal. It was the same fate they faced to Carolina in 2023, where they similarly lost in five games with the final dagger in OT. Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub Blazing Fast Start The Devils completely flipped the script from Game 4, as they rocketed out to three quick goals. Brett Pesce got one through Pyotr Kochetkov after they had some pretty heavy offensive zone pressure. Then moments later, Timo Meier silenced the fans booing him with a five-hole shot. The Devils got a man advantage as they looked for the elusive power play goal, and while it doesn’t go in the books as one, Stefan Noesen redirected a Simon Nemec shot through right after the penalty expired. It was his first even strength goal since before Christmas, making it 3-0. At the horn, not only did the Devils have that big lead, but they led 10-2 in high danger chances (via Natural Stat Trick). It was about as good of a first period on the road as any team could possibly have against the Hurricanes. Unable to Weather the Storm Head coach Sheldon Keefe has constantly talked about needing to successfully weather the storm because heavy pressure from Carolina is inevitable during a 60-minute game. In the second period, the Devils could not do so. It took just 5:40 for the Hurricanes to score three goals and tie it. First, Logan Stankoven capitalized as their own power play expired. Then Jackson Blake wheeled around the net and Jacob Markstrom left the near post too early, letting the puck squeak through. At that point, the crowd was going absolutely nuts. If anyone ever said momentum isn’t real, this moment would prove them wrong. The Devils looked completely flat, and Andrei Svechnikov spun around seconds later and threw one through to tie it. But Nico Hischier (as he’s done all season) stepped up and pulled the Devils back in front, 4-3, with a snapshot past Kochetkov. Then the Devils got into penalty trouble: Tomas Tatar and Erik Haula took penalties to put the Canes on a 5-on-3. Aho scored about halfway through it to knot the game up at four. Special Teams Did Them In It’s like beating a dead horse at this point, but now we can say confidently: the Devils’ inability to win the special teams battle is the reason they’re going home this early. There was not a single game this series where they had the upper hand in that regard. The Devils had a power play with the chance to take the lead with 12 minutes left and couldn’t score, instead moving to 0-for-14 in the series. Then with seven and a half minutes left, they got one again. No dice. 0-for-15. Because of their inability to capitalize on those chances, the game went to overtime. Markstrom stood on his head all period, making 14 saves to extend it to another overtime. Early into the second session, Dawson Mercer took a double minor for high sticking. Fittingly, on that man advantage, Aho delivered the knockout punch. It made too much sense to end via special teams. Just like that, the Devils’ 2024-25 campaign officially came to an end. SERIES WINNER IN DOUBLE OT 🗣️ Sebastian Aho scores in @Energizer double overtime to send the @Canes to the Second Round! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/ouRWZaO8Gq — NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2025 Moving Forward The Devils will now have a long and very important offseason ahead of them. They will likely have their team exit interviews in the next few days, where we’ll learn about the severity of any injuries. Stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for all of your coverage.