Devils-Hurricanes: Round 1 Preview | DEEP DIVE

The Devils will open the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs with a Round 1 match-up against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that eliminated New Jersey in the Second Round of the 2023 postseason. These two teams have been lined up to open the playoffs against each other since Jan. 1 with the teams switching between the No. 2 and No. 3 spot. Carolina eventually pulled away with the second spot and earned home-ice advantage.

Game 1 will be Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina at Lenovo Center at 3 p.m. ET (TV: MSGSN, ESPN). The remaining schedule is below…

Game 2: at Carolina, Tuesday, April 22, 6 p.m. ET (TV: MSGSN, ESPN)
Game 3: at New Jersey, Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. ET (TV: MSGSN, TBS, Max)
Game 4: at New Jersey, Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: MSGSN, TBS, Max, truTV)
Game 5: at Carolina, Tuesday, April 29, Time TBD (TV: MSGSN)*
Game 6: at New Jersey, Friday, May 2, Time TBD (TV: MSGSN)*
Game 7: at Carolina, Sunday, May 4, Time TBD (TV: MSGSN)*

*If necessary

DEVILS AT A GLANCE

The Devils made a lot of roster changes coming into the 2024-25 season, including a complete overhaul on the blue line and crease. Added to the mix were goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defensemen Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and Johnathan Kovacevic. The other big change was on the bench, as New Jersey hired Sheldon Keefe to take over the reigns as head coach.

The team abandoned its previous run-and-gun offense in return for a sounder defensive zone structure. The result saw the Devils go from 26^th in defense in 2023-24 (3.43 goals allowed per game) to 5^th in defense this season with a 2.68 GAA.

The Devils offense was less reliant on a rush attack and more reliant on offensive zone structure and special teams to generate offense. The overall result was another berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a 42-win season and 10-point standings improvement.

Injuries have plagued the club in the latter half of the year. The Devils lost defensive cornerstone Jonas Siegenthaler on Feb. 4. Until that time, Siegenthaler and partner Kovacevic had been the NHL’s No. 2 defensive shutdown pairing per analytics. Most devastating though was a month later, March 2, when superstar Jack Hughes was lost for the year with a shoulder injury. Hughes led the team in all offensive categories at the time of his injury and finished the year with 27 goals, 43 assists and 70 points in 62 games. One game later, defenseman Dougie Hamilton suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup until the regular-season finale. New Jersey played 18 games without the trio: its best offensive player, its best offensive defenseman and its best defensive defenseman. The team went 9-8-1 in that stretch to stay above water. The good news is that Hamilton has returned to the lineup.

Team defense has been a strong point for the Devils, and they’ve received excellent goaltending from Markstrom and Jake Allen. Another key factor to the Devils’ success this year has been their special teams play. The club finished 3^rd in power play and 2^nd in penalty kill.

HURRICANES AT A GLANCE

For the first time in four seasons, Carolina didn’t reach the 50-win and 100-point plateau. However, the Hurricanes remain true to their identity under head coach Rod Brind’Amour, in his seventh season at the helm. The Canes play hard, fast, forecheck aggressively and rely on playing a complete team game.

In a shocking move in late January, the Hurricanes pulled the trigger on a three-way deal that landed superstar and unrestricted-free-agent-to-be Mikko Rantanen from Colorado. They also brought in former Devil/NHL scoring champion Taylor Hall. Carolina gave up forwards Jack Drury and Martin Necas, and a second-round pick in 2025, a fourth-round pick in 2026 (to Colorado) and a third-round pick in 2025 (to Chicago).

However, the honeymoon was short lived. Rantanen scored two goals and six points in 13 games for Carolina but made it known that he was not willing to re-sign with the Canes. At the March 7 trade deadline, Carolina sent Rantanen to Dallas in exchange for Logan Stankoven, two conditional first-round picks (2026, 2028) and two third-round picks (2026, 2027). The gamble didn’t pay off for Carolina and after all of that, they ended up with Hall and Stankoven, but lost Drury and Necas from the current roster.

But no matter the pieces in place, the Hurricanes play the same way. They’ve been stingy defensively, possess the NHL’s best penalty kill while allowing the least number of shots against. Part of Carolina's strength is it spends a lot of time in the offensive zone – evidenced by their No. 2 ranking in shots for this season - and will pin teams deep. There are no easy minutes against the Hurricanes, and over time the club tends to wear down its opponents.

REGULAR SEASON MATCH-UP

The Devils and Hurricanes met four times during the 2024-25 season. The home team won every contest as the clubs evenly split the season series. The last time they collided was in a back-to-back home-and-home series following the holiday break in December.

Jesper Bratt leads all players in series scoring with seven points on two goals and five assists. His seven points are followed by Jack Hughes’ six (1g-5a). Goalie Jacob Markstrom started three games against Carolina, going 2-1-0 with a 2.34 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.

Jack Roslovic has a series-best three goals and leads Carolina with five points.

The Devils scored 12 goals while Carolina potted 13 (an empty-net goal being the difference). Both teams went 2-for-8 on the power play. By the numbers, it was as even a series as it can be.

Oct. 15 at Carolina: Hurricanes 4-2 W

Forward Jackson Blake scored his first career NHL goal in a 4-2 Hurricanes win at Lenovo Center.

Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere and Sebastian Aho also tallied for Carolina, while goalie Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves in his season debut.

Jack Hughes had a goal and assist and Jesper Bratt had two assists in the losing effort. Goalie Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Nov. 21 at New Jersey: Devils 4-2 W

Jesper Bratt notched two goals and three points for the Devils in a 4-2 win against Carolina at the Prudential Center.

Jack Hughes had three assists while Dougie Hamilton and Stefan Noesen added goals against their former team. Goalie Jacob Markstrom made 20 saves for the win in his 500^th career NHL game.

Jack Roslovic and Andrei Svechnikov scored for Carolina.

Dec. 27 at New Jersey: Devils 4-2 W

Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom extended his winning streak to six games with a 29-save effort in a 4-2 New Jersey win at Prudential Center.

Jack Hughes had a goal and assist while Ondrej Palat, Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer added tallies.

Brent Burns and Eric Robinson scored for Carolina.

Dec. 28 at Carolina: Hurricanes 5-2 W

Carolina’s Jack Roslovic had two goals and three points as the Hurricanes picked up a 5-2 win against New Jersey at Lenovo Center.

Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat scored for the Devils, who had a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

Dmitry Orlov, Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake and Roslovic (2) scored for Carolina.

FORWARDS

The Devils are without Jack Hughes, but they are not without high-end talent at the forward position. Jesper Bratt led the team in scoring with a career-high 88 points. He also set a franchise single-season record with 67 assists on the year to go with 21 goals. Captain Nico Hischier produced a career-best 35 goals on the season, including 14 on the power play, and finished with 69 points and a plus-9. The Devils had five 20-goal scorers (Hischier, 35; Hughes, 27; Timo Meier, 26; Stefan Noesen, 22; Bratt, 21).

Devils Projected Lines

Noesen - Hischier - Bratt
Haula - Mercer - Meier
Cotter - Glass - Sprong
Palat - Dowling - Bastian

For the Hurricanes, Sebastian Aho had another spectacular season with 29 goals and team-best 74 points. Seth Jarvis continued to cement his place as one of the young studs of the NHL with his second 30-goal campaign, reaching 32. He finished the year with 67 points. Jack Roslovic posted 21 goals and Andrei Svechnikov added 20 as the Canes produced four 20-goal scorers on the year (Martin Necas or Mikko Rantanen would have been a fifth). But the Hurricanes have a lot of depth scoring throughout their forward group from players like Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake and Jordan Martinook. The team had 12 players reach double digits in goals.

Hurricanes Projected Lines

Jarvis - Aho - Blake
Hall - Kotkaniemi - Svechnikov
Martinook - Staal - Stankoven
Robinson - Jankowski - Roslovic

DEFENSE

Carolina’s blue line is built around the play of Jaccob Slavin, who is possibly the best defensive defenseman in the entire NHL. The Denver, Colorado native was instrumental in Team USA's run to the title game in the Four Nations Face-Off tournament. Offensively, Shayne Gostisbehere paced the back end with seven goals, 38 assists and 45 points. Meanwhile the ageless Brent Burns (40 actually) can still be a threat. Dmitry Orlov, Sean Walker and Jalen Chatfield provide solid depth. The Hurricanes also signed prospect Alexander Nikishin, who played the past three seasons with the KHL, to a two-year entry-level contract. The third-round pick (69^th overall) in 2020 is another option for the club.

Hurricanes Projected Defense Pairs

Slavin - Burns
Orlov - Chatfield
Gostisbehere - Walker

The Devils’ blue line received a massive boost with the return of Dougie Hamilton. That gives the Devils two legitimate offensive threats in Hamilton and Luke Hughes from the backend. The 21-year-old Hughes has emerged into a complete defenseman in Hamilton’s absence, taking over No. 1 defenseman minutes, quarterbacking the top power play and shouldering more penalty kill and shutdown responsibilities. He's growing into a legitimate No. 1 D-man. The Devils also have solid defensive defensemen in the mix with Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic and Brian Dumoulin.

Devils Projected Defense Pairs

Hughes - Pesce
Dillon - Hamilton
Dumoulin - Kovacevic

GOALTENDING

The Devils solidified their net with the off-season acquisition of goalie Jacob Markstrom. The 6-foot-6, 207-pound Swedish netminder went 26-16-6 on the year with a 2.50 goals-against average and .900 save percentage with four shutouts. He was named the NHL’s 3^rd Start for the month of December after going 8-1-1 with a 1.30 GAA, .937 save percentage and two blankings. At his best, Markstrom is unbeatable. He was hobbled in the back half of the year due to an MCL injury that put him out of the lineup for nearly six weeks. However, as the season wound down, he started to find his form. The Devils are in good hands beyond that as Jake Allen has provided excellent work in his 31 games on the year.

With Frederik Andersen out from late October to late January with a knee injury that required surgery, the Canes turned to Pyotr Kochetkov in net to fill the duties. Kochetkov set career highs in games played/starts (47) and wins (27). But with Andersen’s return, Carolina has alternated between their two goalies every other game. The 35-year-old veteran Andersen went 13-8-1 in 22 games. In last year’s postseason, Andersen started 10 of 11 games for Carolina.

SPECIAL TEAMS

As always in the postseason, the importance of special teams is ratcheted up to 11. With goals expected to be hard to come by at 5-on-5, especially in this series with two lockdown defensive teams, specialty teams may very well be the deciding factor in the series.

The intriguing matchup will be the Devils’ third-ranked power play against Carolina’s first-ranked penalty kill. New Jersey’s power play has carried the offense at times this season. Nico Hischier has 14 power-play goals on the year while former Hurricane Stefan Noesen has 11. But keep an eye on Timo Meier, who has seven power-play goals on the year, but four of those have come in the 19 games since Jack Hughes’ injury and Meier’s elevation to the top power-play unit.

While Carolina has been one of the stronger team’s 5-on-5 offensively, its power play has struggled mightily on the season. The unit is converting just 18.6 percent of its chances, ranking 26^th in the NHL. Andrei Svechnikov paces the club with nine man-advantage tallies. Meanwhile, the Devils boast the NHL’s third-best PK unit. It may seem like a big advantage for New Jersey, but in the postseason all the units will open with a clean slate.