The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday. Listed here are some takeaways from the day’s motion.
The New Jersey Devils are in bother
Yearly there’s at all times that one staff that goes into the playoffs with simply rancid vibes. A staff that everyone is aware of has no juice left and might be simply ready for his or her season to finish.
That staff this season is the New Jersey Devils.
Not solely as a result of they struggled down the stretch, however as a result of they’re additionally with out their greatest participant in ahead Jack Hughes because of a season-ending damage. There’s simply no technique to exchange a expertise like him, and whereas the Devils do have a stable staff with good depth they don’t have one other game-breaking participant that may take over on any given evening.
They merely seemed overmatched in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Sport 1 on Sunday, utterly unable to take care of their forecheck or break by their protection.
If the Devils are going to have an opportunity on this sequence they’re both going to wish beginning goalie Jacob Markstrom to steal a number of video games, or one thing within the Devils’ total play goes to must dramatically change from what we have now seen from them over the previous few weeks.
Logan Stankoven makes nice first playoff impression for Hurricanes
One of many extra fascinating developments to look at this postseason would be the efficiency of Carolina’s Logan Stankoven compared to Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen.
The Hurricanes acquired Stankoven as a part of the pre-deadline blockbuster commerce that despatched Rantanen to the Stars. It was a stunning commerce as a result of Carolina had simply acquired Rantanen a number of weeks earlier within the hopes he might assist get them to a Stanley Cup Remaining. However when it grew to become clear they may not re-sign him, they opted to commerce him as an alternative of danger shedding him for nothing in free company.
From a giant image perspective, getting Stankoven and two future first-round picks was a powerful return and a possible long-term win. It simply could not get them nearer to a championship this season.
However whereas Rantanen’s line badly struggled in Dallas’ first playoff sport, and whereas he has struggled to make the anticipated affect because the commerce, Stankoven shined in his playoff debut with Carolina scoring a pair of targets.
