2024-25 Regular Season, Games 35-36 Preview: Hurricanes-Devils Home-and-Home

The Carolina Hurricanes went into the Christmas break on the wrong side of a 5-2 game against the Nashville Predators. Dustin Tokarski played well, but the group in front of him couldn't follow up their victory the afternoon before in New York. Steven Stamkos scored in the first period and Jonathan Marchessault added to the lead in the second. Ryan O'Reilly ended the Canes' perfect month on the penalty kill in the first minute of the third period before Mark Jankowski made it 4-0 by snapping a shot less than three minutes in. The Canes didn't go down without a fight. The Staal line broke the shutout after the captain scored at the side of the net. Sebastian Aho extended his point streak to five games 40 seconds later by finishing a 2-on-1 with Seth Jarvis to pull with two. Juuse Saros didn't allow anything beyond that as Marchessault scored into the empty net to win it, 5-2. 

The Opponent: New Jersey Devils (23-11-3, 49 Points- 1st in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: After the Canes won the first meeting of the season, the Devils returned the favor in New Jersey before Thanksgiving. Jack Roslovic opened the scoring, but Jesper Bratt finished a beautiful passing sequence to tie the game late in the frame. Stefan Noesen batted Jack Hughes' pass out of mid-air on the power play, beating Spencer Martin in the first minute of the second period to take the lead. The Canes' power play helped knot the game after a set play. Martin Necas threw a puck from the defensive zone off the end boards, allowing Andrei Svechnikov to skate into it and snap it past Jacob Markstrom. The Canes stuck around, but the Devils scored twice to pull away and win. Dougie Hamilton clapped one past Martin and Bratt added his second of the night on the power play to hold on for a 4-2 victory. 

Since We Last Met: There were few teams in the league hotter than the Devils once it was time to stop for Christmas. Since beating the Canes, New Jersey is 10-4-1 as they continue to jockey for first place with the Washington Capitals. They haven't lost back-to-back games in regulation in over two months and have won five of their last six, including back-to-back 12-save shutouts before Christmas. They're firing on all cylinders. It's hard to talk about their spot at the top of the division without mentioning that they've played three more games than Washington and Carolina. Still, they're as dynamic as ever, behind a pair of 45-point scorers. Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes are tied for the team lead in points, while Nico Hischier paced them in goals (17) with Stefan Noesen already establishing a new career-high with 16. Jacob Markstrom can't be beaten, earning points in nine straight (8-0-1) and wins in five, including both shutouts before the break. During his current win streak, Markstrom has allowed three total goals. 

Stories of the Weekend

1. A Potential 8-Point Swing This Weekend

This could potentially be one of the most important weekends of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes. Trailing New Jersey and Washington by six and five points, respectively, the Canes need to find a way to start making up ground in the division race. The ideal start would be sweeping the Devils to pull within two points, and I don't think it's a far-fetched notion. However, the Devils are a team looking lightyears better than they did a year ago, riding a core that it making defenses look silly. If their defense looks as porous as it has at times over the last few weeks, it could be a long weekend.

2. A Christmas Hangover?

While this applies to both teams, I'm, obviously, more concerned about how the Canes will come out of the break. The loss in Nashville on Monday wasn't very pretty, getting beaten at their own game for most of the night. Hopefully, the time away has been enough to get Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov some rest because they need to start picking up the slack a little. While I'm interested to see how Friday plays out, the real intrigue will be how the team begins at home on Saturday for the second half. 

3. The Devils' Shutout Streak

Though they are shutouts in the books, Jacob Markstrom didn't have to do much in either of his shutout wins against Pittsburgh and New York before Christmas, facing 12 shots in each victory. As a team, New Jersey hasn't allowed a goal since conceding an empty-netter to Columbus with 1:10 remaining in the third period, making it 121:10 since their last goal against, while Markstrom has been perfect for 129:32. The Canes have only been shut out twice this season, so it would be nice to get an early one on Friday to set the tone and put the shutout streak behind us.