"Simon Says": 2025 Postseason, Round 1, Game 3 (CAR leads 2-0): Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

With the Hurricanes doing their job at home in Games 1 and 2, it's time to head north for two more in Newark. In front of their fans, the Devils were sure to get a boost as they tried to work back into the series. They'd have a great chance against one of the worst road teams in the league. The Devils remained without Luke Hughes or Brendan Dillon for the night, but Jonas Siegenthaler returned after nearly three months on the shelf. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom battled for the third straight game, with Andersen hoping to replicate his work on the road.

Scoring Summary
1st Period
NJD (16:11)- Nico Hischier (2) (Timo Meier (1) & Ondrej Palat (1))
2nd Period
None
3rd Period
NJD (1:20)- Dawson Mercer (1) (Jesper Bratt (2) & Brett Pesce (2))
CAR (6:11)- Seth Jarvis (2) PP (Sebastian Aho (2) & Shayne Gostisbehere (1))
CAR (12:20) Sebastian Aho (1) PP (Andrei Svechnikov (1))
Overtime
None
2nd Overtime
NJD (2:36)- Simon Nemec (1) (unassisted)

My Thoughts
During the regular season, you know the Hurricanes will lose once they've surpassed 65 minutes and the shootout is required. In the playoffs, anything beyond 60 minutes and the Canes are playing with fire. Anything beyond 80 minutes feels like a surefire loss. Carolina hasn't won an overtime game in the playoffs since eliminating the Devils in 2023. They haven't won a game beyond one overtime since Game 7 in 2019 against Washington, which remains their only win in 2OT or beyond. Tonight, it was Simon Nemec who played the hero, splitting the Canes' defense before sneaking a shot over the line less than three minutes into the fifth period. It's his first career playoff goal and point, because of course it is. 

The loss shatters what was, otherwise, another incredible performance by Frederik Andersen. His team did him no favors in overtime, being outshot 12-3 in the final 22:36. There wasn't much Andersen could do about the two goals in regulation, allowing goals on a breakaway and rebound after he made an incredible first stop on Jesper Bratt. He continues to give Timo Meier nightmares. This time, he did it from his stomach with his glove. Even in tonight's loss, Andersen was the better goalie, marking the third straight game he's outplayed Jacob Markstrom, at least in my book. The team in front of him just couldn't find all the answers tonight. 

The Canes' top power-play unit put it together tonight, striking twice in the third period to allow the game to reach overtime. Leading the pack were Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov. Aho and Jarvis did it themselves on the first goal. It took four passes back and forth before Jarvis snapped Markstrom's shutout with a snipe over his blocker. Jackson Blake did a lot of work on the tying goal to create the chance. Svechnikov's one-timer was stopped, but his relentless pressure set up Aho for the goal, getting him his first of the series. Thus far, the Canes are winning on special teams, outscoring the Devils 4-0 between their power play and penalty kill. The difference on Friday was at 5-on-5, where New Jersey was much better. 

Game 3 has been unkind to the Hurricanes during their seven-season playoff streak. Since 2019 and including tonight's loss, the Canes are 5-10 in the third game. They've now lost seven of their last eight. Of those seven losses, five have come with the Canes leading 2-0 in the series. The true measurement of this loss's impact will rear its head early on Sunday. Game 4 has been a little nicer for the group. In 2023, they responded to an 8-4 loss to the Devils in Game 3 with a 6-1 victory in Game 4, setting them up to win the series in Raleigh in the following game. 

#RaiseUp First Star of the Game- Sebastian Aho
After a pedestrian first two games, Sebastian Aho made his mark on the series in Game 3, recording points on both power-play goals for the Canes. Aho finished the night with four shots, second to Jackson Blake, and four hits, second to William Carrier. Most importantly, he was on the scoresheet. His entry on the first goal with Seth Jarvis was smooth, and he benefited from Andrei Svechnikov's hard work on his tying goal. His presence had been missed, so this was a step in the right direction.

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