2025 Postseason: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils 1st Round Preview

It's time for the race to the Stanley Cup! The Carolina Hurricanes finished second in the Metropolitan Division, amassing 99 points to fall 12 points behind the Washington Capitals for the division crown. Still, they have home ice for the opening round against the division's third-place finisher, the New Jersey Devils. Despite dropping seven of their final eight (1-6-1), the Canes ended comfortably in second, finishing ten points ahead of the Devils. The Canes were led this season by Sebastian Aho (45 assists, 74 points), Seth Jarvis (32 goals), and Jaccob Slavin (league-best 83.6% PK). They were a Top 10 offense and defense during the regular season, ending the year ninth in goals per game and tenth in goals allowed per game. Meanwhile, the Devils returned to the playoffs after injuries held them back in 2023-24. Jesper Bratt paced the group with 88 points, while captain Nico Hischier set a career high with 35 goals. However, they will be without Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler for the series. The Devils also stumbled down the stretch, losing four of five to end the season. In this rematch from two years ago, here's what you need to know. 

Season Series

October 15 (in Raleigh)- Aided by the first goal of Jackson Blake's career, the Hurricanes earned their first victory of the season, defeating the Devils, 3-2. 

November 21 (in Newark)- Jesper Bratt (2-1-3) dominates, and Dougie Hamilton burns his old mates with the go-ahead tally to push the Devils to a 4-2 win in Newark.

December 27 (in Newark)- Luke Hughes records an early assist and scores the go-ahead goal early in the second period to begin the post-Christmas push with a 4-2 victory.

December 28 (in Raleigh)- Scoring four unanswered goals in the third period, the Canes prevent the Devils from sweeping the home-and-home with a 5-2 win behind two goals and an assist from Jack Roslovic.

Postseason History

2001 Conference Quarterfinals- Devils won 4-2: The Canes fell behind 3-0 in the series after back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3 by Martin Brodeur. While they earned two close victories, the Devils finished the series in Game 6, 5-1. New Jersey lost 4-3 in the 2001 Stanley Cup Final to Colorado.

2002 Conference Quarterfinals- Hurricanes won 4-2: The home team won the first five games of the series, with Game 5 including "The Save" by Kevin Weekes to give the Canes a 3-2 series lead. They'd close it out with a 1-0 victory in Game 6. Carolina lost 4-1 in the 2002 Stanley Cup Final to Detroit.

2006 Conference Semifinals- Hurricanes won 4-1: The Canes dominated New Jersey in Game 1, got the game-tying goal with 3.0 seconds left in regulation before an overtime win in Game 2, and routed the Devils to a five-game victory. Carolina won 4-3 in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton.

2009 Conference Quarterfinals- Hurricanes won 4-3: Once again, there was no shortage of incredible moments in the series, but "The Shock at the Rock" remains one of the most iconic moments in franchise history, scoring two late goals to stun the Devils in Game 7. Carolina lost 4-0 in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals to Pittsburgh, the eventual Stanley Cup champions. 

2023 2nd Round- Hurricanes won 4-1: The first four games of the series were blowouts, with the Canes earning a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 was the only close game and was won by the Canes in overtime on Jesper Fast's deflection on the power play. Carolina lost 4-0 in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals to Florida.

5 Things to Watch

1. Former Hurricanes aplenty for New Jersey

There are four former Hurricanes on New Jersey's roster heading into this series, including two who'll be playing their first playoff games against the Canes after leaving this offseason. Dougie Hamilton was on the 2023 team that lost to the Canes in the second round, and Erik Haula is all too familiar with Carolina in the playoffs, being eliminated by the Canes in 2021 (Nashville), 2022 (Boston), and 2023 (New Jersey). This will be Brett Pesce's and Stefan Noesen's first time meeting the Canes in the postseason. It's especially bittersweet for Pesce, who was drafted by the Hurricanes.

2. Can the Canes win on the road?

If there's one cloud hanging over the Hurricanes' heads right now, it's their ability, or inability, to win on the road. The Canes were 22nd in the league in road point percentage, going 16-21-4 away from Raleigh. This includes a pair of 4-2 regulation losses to the Devils in Newark. These concerns extend to recent postseasons, too. The Devils were tied for 6th on the road, finishing with a .585 point percentage, which included the fourth-most road victories (23). For the team to have any success in the playoffs, they can't rely on only winning at home. 

3. Who steps up for the Hurricanes?

There are expectations that the big guys are going to perform, namely Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis up front and Jaccob Slavin on the back end. My real interest is in who steps up amongst the depth players. Two years ago, it was Jordan Martinook who went on a scorching run against the Devils, tying the franchise record with ten points in the five-game triumph. I'm looking for guys like Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, or William Carrier to make a large impact.

4. Do we see Alexander Nikishin?

As of Thursday, Russian defenseman and top prospect Alexander Nikishin was on his way to the United States after receiving his U.S. visa in Istanbul. I have zero expectations that he'll play in this series, but wouldn't it be cool if he did? From what we've learned, it sounds like SKA St. Petersburg had been playing a style similar to what the Canes play, so he should be somewhat familiar with how they do things once he arrives. It would be a huge ask of him to throw him in without much prep. If we see him, it'll likely be because someone gets hurt, so don't expect much.

5. The goaltending battle

With two skilled offenses, this series might come down to goaltending. Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek were disastrous when they faced the Canes two years ago, but Jacob Markstrom is in control now. He's a marked improvement over the previous duo, as is Jake Allen as the backup. Meanwhile, the Canes enter the postseason with a tandem that has alternated starts for the better part of two months. Neither Frederik Andersen nor Pyotr Kochetkov has separated themselves enough to definitively say who should be the starter, and their continuing the rotation for Andersen to play the season finale doesn't answer that question. 

Prediction: Carolina in 6