2025-26 Regular Season, Game 49 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

Last Game: The Carolina Hurricanes pulled out the belt on Friday night, spanking the Florida Panthers at the Lenovo Center. It was relatively tight early in the game. Nikolaj Ehlers finally broke the ice late in the opening period after the captain made an insane pass from along the wall to find him in the slot. The Panthers tied it early in the second, but they wouldn't score again for the rest of the night. The Canes restored their lead when Mark Jankowski got to the front of the net and put home a rebound. Alexander Nikishin added to it with a 92.5 MPH bomb on the power play to push the lead to two after 40 minutes. The third period was all Carolina. The Canes scored three more times on the power play. Andrei Svechnikov started it by recording his 400th point. Ehlers got his second of the night on a 5-on-3. Taylor Hall got another 23 seconds later. Ehlers completed his hat trick by scoring the team's seventh goal of the night. Hall made it eight, and Eric Robinson got the ninth 12 seconds later. When the final horn sounded, the Canes celebrated a 9-1 win, tying the team record for the most goals in a game. All 12 forwards had at least one point. Nine players had at least two, led by four from Ehlers and three from Jankowski. 

Injury Report

William Carrier: After not playing on Saturday, I have no reason to believe that he'll be back in the lineup tonight.

Shayne Gostisbehere: The same goes for him, though I might be a little more optimistic about his chances for some reason.

Noah Philp: The team placed him on IR on Friday, allowing them to bring another defenseman with them for this back-to-back.

The Opponent: New Jersey Devils (24-21-2, 50 Points; 6th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: The Hurricanes visited Newark 13 days ago, under very similar circumstances. The Canes were playing the second half of a back-to-back, having blown a lead the night before to the Colorado Avalanche. They got off to a quicker start in this one, scoring less than a minute in with a little help. Sean Walker's shot was tipped by Nikolaj Ehlers before Luke Hughes pushed the rebound into his own net. The Devils got it back. Arseny Gritsyuk made a hard-working play behind the net to set up Dawson Mercer in front of the net to knot it up at one. Hughes' bad night continued in the second. Taylor Hall provided a ton of pressure, forcing the Devils' defenseman to retreat into his own zone. Hall poked the puck off his stick and around Jake Allen's pad to restore the Canes' lead. Hall was back at it in the third, forcing Allen to misplay the puck behind his cage. Hall found Logan Stankoven, who put it between Allen's pads before he could get reset. The Canes held onto their lead from there, prevailing, 3-1. 

Since We Last Met: It has been a tough few weeks for the Devils. They followed their loss against the Canes with an embarrassing 9-0 loss to the New York Islanders. Jacob Markstrom allowed all nine goals on 24 shots, while the Devils failed to put any of their 44 shots past Ilya Sorokin. Their road trip continued with losses in Pittsburgh and Winnipeg before finally breaking their losing streak with consecutive wins over Minnesota and Seattle. The Devils also made the news when they scratched Dougie Hamilton on Saturday, with Jonathan Kovacevic back in the lineup. It has led to a flurry of trade rumors, some of which involved the Hurricanes. He has played their last two games, recording a trio of assists. Scoring continues to be an issue for the Devils, who're in the bottom five in scoring. Nico Hischier has pulled ahead in goals (15) from Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer (12), while Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes each have 11. Since facing the Canes, Jake Allen has allowed eight goals in two starts. Inversely, since allowing nine goals to the Islanders, Markstrom has won his last two. The Devils haven't played since Wednesday, so they should be rested for this contest. 

Stories to Watch

1. Different team, same spot in the standings

The Canes' opponent on Friday night, the Florida Panthers, were desperate for a win, sitting a few points out of the second Wild Card spot. The team handled its business in an emphatic way. The Canes' opponent on Saturday night is in the exact same boat. The Metropolitan Division has started to see a few teams separate from the pack, and the Atlantic Division has started to get hot while taking over the Wild Card scene. The Devils need to make a move. The Canes need to make sure they don't have a letdown game after a big performance last night.

2. Frederik Andersen's turn

After Brandon Bussi earned his 17th win on Friday, Frederik Andersen will get the nod against the Devils tonight. He played well against them on Opening Night, carrying over his work from the playoffs. Andersen has started to find his game again, suffering a tough-luck overtime loss on Monday in Detroit. Much like Bussi in St. Louis on Tuesday, Andersen is playing behind a team that is certain to be a little tired. He'll need to keep the group in the fight.