Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Devils

For the sixth time in league history, the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are going head-to-head in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Yeah, there’s a little history here. And it favours the Hurricanes. Carolina has claimed victory in each of these clubs’ last four playoff meetings, including their most recent head-to-head in 2023 when Carolina took the second-round series in just five games.

It’s no surprise a sixth series now lies ahead, a 2-3 Metropolitan matchup that was the first to be locked in this spring — it’s felt inevitable ever since the Washington Capitals went on a tear to run away with the division shortly after the calendar turned to 2025. Aside from the Devils and Hurricanes swapping their seeding, with Carolina taking over second place as New Jersey dropped following a poor start to the new year, very little changed in the Metropolitan race over the course of the second half of the season. 

The same cannot be said about the expectations on both sides of this matchup, however. That’s where things get interesting in this first-round series. 

Here’s what you need to know heading into the Round 1 bout between the Hurricanes and Devils. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS

Carolina Hurricanes: 2-2-0

New Jersey Devils: 2-2-0

THE BREAKDOWN

Before we really dig into what to expect in this April showdown, let’s recall what happened in March. The month wasn’t exactly easy on either of these clubs, and how they emerged from it might just dictate what we’re about to see as they go head-to-head. 

The Hurricanes have been on track for the post-season all year long, but could’ve taken a step back after their blockbuster acquisition of Mikko Rantanen went south, with rumours piling up ahead of the trade deadline threatening to back them into a tough corner. Instead, Carolina salvaged the botched deal and sprinted down the stretch to remind everyone they’re still very much a contender to be taken seriously. 

Their biggest strength overall has been their consistency on both sides of the puck — that’s a far cry from what we’ve seen in New Jersey this year.

After a few false starts, this was supposed to be the year the Devils, too, declared themselves a real-deal challenger. They entered the year with a new head coach in Sheldon Keefe, a new No. 1 netminder in Jacob Markstrom, and a new outlook on what a playoff run could mean for this club. And for the first half of the season, that message rang loud and clear through the league. Through the team’s first 41 games, the Devils sat second in the Eastern Conference with a 24-14-3 record, ranking first in regulation wins (tied with Winnipeg). Offence was firing on all cylinders in the top tier of the league while defence was efficient, too, limiting opponents to the third-fewest shots per game. 

The wins slowed down with Markstrom’s five-week injury-induced absence in January, and then a pair of big-name injuries in early March stopped all momentum in its tracks as the team has limped to the finish line. Both top forward Jack Hughes and top defender Dougie Hamilton sustained long-term injuries early last month, with defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler also out. Hughes won’t be back until next season, but Hamilton returned to action this week and will be ready for Game 1. 

The Devils we’ve seen over the course of the second half of the season have, understandably, struggled mightily, with goals drying up along with the wins. Combine that lack of firepower with Carolina’s ability to shut down opponents better than any other squad, and it’s clear the Devils aren’t walking into a friendly situation for a team already lacking its best players. 

Where they do thrive, though, is on special teams. No one is better than Carolina when it comes to their penalty kill, but New Jersey comes close with its second-best 82.7 per cent kill rate. And the Devils’ third-ranked power play (far better than Carolina’s cumbersome unit, which ranks near the bottom of the league) has remained one of the club’s biggest strengths all season. 

ADVANCED STATS

(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

Hurricanes X-Factor: Jaccob Slavin

There’s a lot to love about these Hurricanes, and a lot of it has been surprising this season — particularly when it comes to the club’s influx of young stars that have shone with greater opportunity. Logan Stankoven, who came over in the Mikko Rantanen trade from Dallas, has made it easier for everyone to forget about the chaos surrounding that whole ordeal as he’s fit in seamlessly in Raleigh. Fellow rookie Jackson Blake, too, has been a bit of a revelation as he heats up at the best time. 

But tempting as it may be to highlight one of the shiny new stars on the squad, this team is built on the strength of its blue line and that means Jaccob Slavin. The 10-year veteran averages a team-high 21:34 a night (a total that always rises in the post-season) as an elite shutdown man. He’s a big reason why the Hurricanes rank atop the league in fewest shots allowed per game. He’s also a major driving force behind Carolina’s league-topping penalty kill, which has operated at an 84.3 per cent success rate. That’s going to be on full display against the Devils’ strong power play — of all the things that have gone wrong down the stretch, New Jersey’s power play isn’t one of them; they finished the season with the third-best PP unit.

Devils X-Factor: Jacob Markstrom

Goaltending is always going to be an x-factor no matter the series, but when you’re entering the post-season without your top forward and your best blue liner… well, you’re going to need the man in the blue paint to shine. After question marks plagued the Devils’ crease for years, the club went out and landed its answer in the veteran Markstrom last summer.

But just how far can he take this team? 

At the halfway mark of the season, Markstrom ranked second in both wins and goals-against average behind only Connor Hellebuyck, securing 19 wins through 28 starts while allowing an average of 2.15 goals per game to go with a solid .912 save percentage.

That momentum remained steady into January, but was sidelined when Markstrom suffered a knee injury that held him out five weeks. (Excitement around his return in early March was quickly snuffed when teammates Hughes and Hamilton went down.)

Since Markstrom’s return, he’s posted just five wins in 13 starts and stats that are a far cry from his first-half numbers: .869 save percentage and 3.33 goals-against average. That’s not all on Markstrom, of course, but if New Jersey is to overcome those setbacks atop the lineup and make any kind of run in the playoffs, they’ll need their netminder to steal more than just a game or two.