The New Jersey Devils Face Elimination Heading into Game Five

New Jersey Devils, Ice Hockey, Professional

May 11, 2023

The New Jersey Devils headed into Game Four down in the series 2-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Coming off a statement win this past Sunday, the Devils' mentality in this game appeared determined and energetic. At the start of Tuesday night, they didn’t disappoint. In fact, they initiated the energy and momentum. However, as the game progressed the energy began to decimate as the Hurricanes began to gain their footing late in the first period.

“I think we just stop playing, it definitely sucks but there’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves, Devils center Nico Hischier emphasized in the post-game conference. “Tonight, we let our hats hang for five minutes. Obviously, we were trying to get going again but that was easier said then done.”

Unfortunately for the Devils, this energy continued to be built upon by the Hurricanes. The majority of the second period was dominated by Hurricanes. It appeared once the Hurricanes began rolling, they proved to be overwhelming for the Devils. Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek's confidence was concerning going forward for the Devil’s playoff chances. Prior to the second period, he proved to be playing with high energy, but mentally he appeared to checkout after giving up the goal late in the first period.

“Tough game, I mean we played great the first period,”goalie Vitek Vanecek when asked about his performance Tuesday night. “I don't know what happened in the second period, but they got some lucky bounces and scored some goals.”

The Turning Point for the New Jersey Devils

There’s no secret. Vanacek has struggled in the playoffs. In fact, he hasn’t put any comparable game to his regular season performance. He was pulled mid-second period after allowing four straight goals within a five-minute span to give the Hurricanes a substantial lead 5-1. Later, his replacement Akira Schmid also gave up a goal before the end of the period, ultimately giving them a five-goal lead heading into the final period of the game.

“We got to help him for sure, we gave up some slot tonight and we can’t expect our goalies to save point-blank shots,” defensemen Damon Severson said. “We can’t get down on our goaltending, we have all the confidence in the world no matter who’s in the net.”

The third period became a bit more physical as the emotions ran high. However, the fight in the team appeared to altogether leave and the energy of the building let alone the team was shattered. This was a direct correlation to the remainder of the game as the Devils didn’t score another goal outside of the first period in the 6-1 loss. The overall energy and momentum of the team was not good for the Devils as they now trail 3-1 in the series and are on the brink of elimination.

“We didn’t skate well enough to generate anything after that first period,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff explains. “ I didn’t think it was about goaltending tonight.”

What’s Happening to Vitek Vanecek?

Unfortunately, Vanecek has struggled in every playoff game he’s started this post-season. During the first two games of the post-season, Vanecek gave up a combined 10 goals. He later was benched for Schmid, which allowed the Devils to come back and defeat the New York Rangers. Vanecek’s playoff displays have become concerning and some are worried that a game like this will affect his confidence moving forward.

“We spent a lot of time just speaking about who should be in there and the way V [Vanecek] shut them out early in the season,” Ruff continued. “We can have hindsight, I'm just not sure if that would have made a difference. If you want to criticize me for that, you’re more than welcome because that’s my decision.”

Going forward, the Devils face an elimination game and must quickly change their mindset in order to be ready for Game Five. In the past, the Devils have managed to pull off the impossible when their backs were against the wall. Despite being down 3-1 in this series, many of their players' confidence refuses to dwindle and they still have hope to win this series.