Devils Fall Flat Against Hurricanes (Again): Special Teams, Goaltending, and Finishing Woes Continue
Saturday night in Newark was supposed to be a statement game - a chance for the New Jersey Devils to exorcise some demons against a Carolina Hurricanes team that’s had their number for far too long. Instead, it was more of the same. The Devils dropped a frustrating 4-1 decision in a game that echoed many of their worst habits: special teams breakdowns, shaky goaltending, and missed chances in front of the net.
Let’s break it down.
Power Play Still Powerless vs. Carolina
If there’s one area where the Devils’ struggles are painfully consistent, it’s on the man advantage - especially when Carolina’s on the other side.
Dating back to their playoff series last spring, the Hurricanes have simply owned the special teams battle. That series ended with Carolina posting a +7 goal differential in special teams situations.
The Devils? Zero power play goals, one shorthanded goal allowed, and six goals given up while shorthanded.
That’s a brutal stat line, and Saturday night didn’t do much to change the narrative.
Yes, Timo Meier finally broke through with a quick-strike goal, but that was the lone bright spot. The Devils’ power play continued to look disjointed and sluggish. Zone entries were a struggle all night, and the home crowd let them hear it with a chorus of boos.
The numbers tell the story: New Jersey is now just 1-for-their-last-28 on the power play against the Hurricanes. Even more staggering?
Since the start of the 2022-23 season, they’ve been outscored 7-4 during their own power plays against Carolina. That’s not just ineffective - that’s damaging.
“They pressure. They pressure hard,” Meier said postgame. “They’ve got a lot of guys with good sticks… and we didn’t compete hard enough to make plays or catch them out of position.”
That pressure is a calling card for Carolina, and the Devils simply haven’t figured out how to beat it.
Markstrom’s Struggles Continue to Undercut the Devils
Jacob Markstrom’s season has been anything but steady. It’s been a tale of ups and downs, but lately, it’s been mostly the latter.
Coming into Saturday, Markstrom had a .879 save percentage - 36th out of 38 goalies with at least 20 games played. That number ticked up ever so slightly to .880 after the loss, but the performance didn’t inspire much confidence.
The goals he allowed told the story. The first came from Andrei Svechnikov, who darted down the right side and fired a shot from 34.4 feet out at a 35.5-degree angle - not exactly a high-danger look.
Per Moneypuck, it had just a 5.9% chance of going in. But it slipped right through Markstrom’s five-hole.
That’s a save a team needs from its starter, especially early in a game.
After Meier’s goal brought the Devils within one, there was a brief surge of energy in the building. But it didn’t last.
Carolina’s Jackson Blake got in alone and made Markstrom look silly with a slick backhand finish. Later, with time winding down, Svechnikov completed his hat trick with a shot that Markstrom awkwardly flailed at, losing his balance in the process.
By night’s end, Markstrom had allowed 1.06 goals more than expected - bringing his season total to minus-10.8 goals above expected. That’s a tough number to carry for a team that’s already struggling to score.
Finishing Remains a Major Issue
The Devils’ inability to finish chances is becoming a season-defining theme. It’s not just a cold streak - it’s a trend.
Against Carolina, they generated 1.31 expected goals more than they actually scored, according to Natural Stat Trick. And that was against Frederik Andersen, who came into the game with an .863 save percentage. Simply put, the Devils had chances - six breakaways, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe - but they couldn’t capitalize.
“As much as there’s not an abundance of offense or sustained offense, or lots of shots a bunch of times, some of our best people have got to make them count,” Keefe said. “The game changes significantly.”
And he’s right. The Devils’ expected goal differential paints a clear picture of what could’ve been.
They’ve scored 29.75 goals fewer than expected this season while allowing 7.81 fewer than expected. That’s a swing of nearly 38 goals.
Add that to their current differential, and we’re talking about a team that could be among the top three in the East - instead of sitting at the bottom.
That kind of inefficiency - both in net and in front of it - is a killer in a league where the margins are razor-thin. You can’t afford to spot the opponent a goal every night.
And Keefe knows it. “You’re not talking about any of this [process] stuff if we put some of those pucks in the net,” he said postgame.
Where Do the Devils Go From Here?
At 24-22-2, the Devils are still technically in the playoff hunt, but the math is getting tougher. Moneypuck had their postseason odds at just 17% heading into Saturday, and games like this one don’t help.
Could one elite finisher change the equation? Maybe.
But the issues run deeper than just one missing piece. The bottom-six forward group lacks bite.
The defense has holes. And the goaltending - as we’ve covered - has been a major liability.
There’s no easy fix here. The Devils are a team with talent, but they’re not executing in the areas that matter most. Until they figure out how to convert chances and get more timely saves, nights like this one will keep piling up.
Next up: a road trip to Calgary on Monday night. Puck drops at 9:00 PM EST. The Devils need to find answers - fast.