Jordan Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes had a chance to put the New Jersey Devils in a stranglehold. The Hurricanes had a 2-0 series lead entering Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round. A win on Friday would have pushed New Jersey to the brink of elimination. Unfortunately for Carolina, the Devils claimed Game 3 on home ice.

Carolina and New Jersey went to double overtime on Friday night. It certainly took a while, but eventually the Devils broke through. Simon Nemec played hero in the second overtime. His goal cemented a crushing defeat for the Hurricanes. And at the very least, it forced a Game 5 back in Carolina.

The Hurricanes did well to push the game as long as they did. In the end, though, their effort was all for naught. Moreover, their effort was somewhat lacking. Captain Jordan Staal certainly wanted to see more from his squad, as he mentioned following Game 3.

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“I don’t think we played a great game… Our five-on-five play was average to below average… A lot of the game, they did a good job of just putting it on us and playing good playoff hockey, and we weren’t on that mindframe,” the Hurricanes captain told team reporter Walt Ruff on Friday night.

The series is far from over at this point. Especially given the Devils' victory on home ice. But this loss will still sting for Carolina. They battled back from 2-0 down in this contest. They forced overtime and gave themselves a chance to win despite the deficit.

Unfortunately, they could not pull it off. The Hurricanes and Devils go again in Game 4 on Sunday night. Let's see if Carolina puts a better effort forward ahead of the return to Raleigh for Game 5.