Judging defenseman Brian Dumoulin’s appearance in the Devils locker room shortly after their thrilling 3-2 win in second overtime wouldn’t reveal how much he had to played.

Dumoulin played a game-high 36:24 on Friday at Prudential Center. His ice-time only surpassed by 11 seconds in a triple-overtime game with the Penguins in 2022. The Devils needed every moment he could give them on Friday.

Already without stars Brenden Dillon (lower-body) and Luke Hughes (upper-body), defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic left Game 3 after the first period with an injury. His leave forced the Devils to play the second and third period, and 23 minutes of overtime with five defensemen.

Jonas Siegenthaler was supposed to limit his playing time since it was his first game back since Feb. 4. Brett Pesce and Dougie Hamilton aren’t fully healthy either. Simon Nemec scored the game-winning goal, but he is also 21 years old in his second playoff game. Still, they played their best game of the series.

“Sometimes that happens, and we all have to lean on each other,” Dumoulin said. “We still have to battle, grind and support one another.”

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe did not have an update on Kovacevic postgame. He did not leave the game during play or appear injured, so it was unclear what he caused him to leave.

As a team, the Devils defense did not allow an even strength goal in Game 3 — a first this series. The Devils’ penalty kill again struggled mightily in Friday’s game, but they still found a way to not give up anything else over the 83 minute game. They did so with toughness — registering 43 hits and blocking 33 shots.

Dumoulin has been the Devils’ best pickup from this year’s trade deadline. They acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional second-round draft pick, and he’s been well-worth the price. Dumoulin’s brought not just stability but consistent, high-level play to their blue-line with all the injuries they’ve suffered.

“(Dumoulin)’s won before, he knows what it takes,” Keefe said. “I was so impressed with Siegenthaler, but man am I happy we had him tonight. Same with Dumoulin. I’m happy this guy is on our team. He’s played so well. He’s so calm out there. He extraordinarily well tonight.”

Keefe said before Friday’s game that Siegenthaler’s conditioning was not where it needed to be, but they needed him to play regardless since Dillon and Hughes were out.

Siegenthaler’s timeline was pushed far ahead so he could play in Game 3, and so was his conditioning. Once Kovacevic left, Keefe and Siegenthaler knew he needed to play more. Not only was he on the ice for 27:09, he made a number of crucial, athletic plays to disrupt the Hurricanes’ offense.

“It wasn’t easy at the start, but I tried to find my legs as quick as possible,” Siegenthaler said. “I found my rhythm after the first period. You just have to play hockey no matter what you’re dealing with.”

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Gabriel Trevino can be reached at [email protected] or on X @GabeCTrevino