The New Jersey Devils have fought their way back into their opening round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Carolina Hurricanes, officially halving what was a 2-0 series lead.
Šimon Nemec scored shortly into double overtime, as his shot squeaked through the arm and torso of goaltender Frederik Andersen and barely trickled over the goal line into the net.
The Devils have now guaranteed that there will be a Game 5 in the series; whether they return to Carolina trailing 3-1 or knotted at two games apiece remains to be decided.
Hurricanes Fans Stay Optimistic Following 2OT Loss to Devils
While it’s always disappointing to lose a game in overtime (especially double overtime) in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Hurricanes fans remained mostly optimistic despite the setback.
One fan kept things short and simple, saying, “tough but we’ll be aight”
Another Hurricanes fan praised the performance of goaltender Andersen, saying, “Props to Freddie, he had one hell of a game.”
Props to Freddie, he had one hell of a game.
— x – Myles (@MylkTV) April 26, 2025
This fan tipped their hat to the Devils by saying, “Had a good chance to steal that one. NJ was better in OT.”
Yet another Hurricanes fan looked forward to Game 4, saying, “We did so good though! We’ve got this series, just keep pushing!!”
Speaking of looking ahead to Game 4, this fan said, “Forget about tonight game 3 force in game 4 Sunday win against New Jersey Devils and clinch game 5 in Raleigh.”
Forget about tonight game 3 force in game 4 Sunday win against New Jersey Devils and clinch game 5 in Raleigh
— Cole Monck (@c15412335) April 26, 2025
Meanwhile, this fan called out those in the Hurricanes’ fan base who are complaining with a stern message that read, “So many of our fans just b**** without having a clue. Stop crying. This was always a huge advantage game for them. Desperate and at home on Friday night. Canes in 5”
Hurricanes Coach Rod Brind’Amour Appreciated Carolina’s Comeback Effort
While it remains true that theirs was a disappointing loss, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour is proud of the fact that his team fought their way back into the game by knotting this core at 2-2 after initially trailing 2-0.
“I mean, we did fight back, tie it up,” Brind’Amour said. “That was an eight-minute stretch where we were kind of good. The rest was not our game. You know, there’s a reason they were good. So, it’s tip your hat to New Jersey. They did what they had to do. We were just not very good.”
Game 4 between the Devils and Hurricanes will be played on Sunday afternoon at Prudential Center; the puck is scheduled to drop at 3:30 p.m. ET.