The postseason is here, and the New Jersey Devils are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out last season. The Devils begin their campaign on Sunday afternoon in Raleigh, North Carolina, where they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the second playoff meeting between the Metropolitan Division rivals in the past three seasons. The Hurricanes got the best of the Devils in 2022-23, handing them a second-round loss in game five.
This season, the Devils travel to Raleigh as the underdogs. They finished third in the division with a 42-33-7 record and 91 points. Carolina finished one position ahead of New Jersey in the Metro with a 47-30-5 record and 99 points.
Related Post: NHL Playoff Preview: New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes with Line Combinations 4/20/2025
Skater Stat Leaders
Goals
Devils: Nico Hischier (35), Jack Hughes* (27), Timo Meier (26), Stefan Noesen (22), Jesper Bratt (21)
Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (32), Sebastian Aho (29), Jack Roslovic (22), Andrei Svechnikov (20), Jackson Blake (17)
Assists
Devils: Jesper Bratt (67), Jack Hughes* (43), Luke Hughes (37), Nico Hischier (34), Dougie Hamilton (31)
Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho (45), Martin Necas* (39), Shayne Gostisbehere (38), Seth Jarvis (35), Andrei Svechnikov (28)
Points
Devils: Jesper Bratt (88), Jack Hughes* (70), Nico Hischier (69), Timo Meier (53), Luke Hughes (44)
Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho (74), Seth Jarvis (67), Martin Necas* (55), Andrei Svechnikov (48), Shayne Gostisbehere (45)
Head-to-Head
The Devils and Hurricanes split their season series, each winning their two respective home games. The Devils took two contests by a score of 4-2 while the Hurricanes notched a 4-2 and a 5-2 win.
Nine different Devils players combined to score the 12 total goals against the Hurricanes, including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Stefan Noesen, Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Paul Cotter. Hischier, Bratt and Palat had two goals each.
At the other end of the ice, Carolina also had nine different goal scorers combine for 13 goals against the Devils this season, including Seth Jarvis, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Jack Roslovic, Andrei Svechnikov, Eric Robinson, Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov. Blake and Aho each had two goals, and Roslovic had three.
The Hurricanes go for shot quantity over quality, and that was evident against the Devils, who were outshot 125-93 across the four contests.
The Devils had the edge in the special-teams battle across the season series. They scored three power-play goals on eight attempts. The penalty kill was crucial, killing seven of nine power plays for the Hurricanes.
In net, the Devils had the advantage despite allowing more goals. Carolina’s high shot volume, combined with similar goal totals between the teams, earned them a lower shooting percentage and consequently a higher save percentage for Devils’ goalies.
Jacob Markstrom started three of four head-to-head matchups and earned two victories. He had a combined save percentage of .915. Jake Allen made just one start against the Hurricanes and lost, allowing four goals on 40 shots for a .900 SV%.
For the Hurricanes, Pyotr Kochetkov made two starts against the Devils, earning one victory. He had a combined save percentage of .875. Spencer Martin and Dustin Tokarski made the other starts in the season series, but they’re both in the American Hockey League and likely won’t appear on the playoff roster.
Instead, Frederik Andersen will either start or back up Kochetkov in the series. Andersen only made 22 appearances this season due to a knee injury. He tallied 13 wins with a .899 SV% and a 2.56 GAA.
Three Players to Watch
Outside of the top point-getters, who could have the biggest impact on the series?
For the Devils…
Ondrej Palat – Palat has faced some scrutiny this season for a lack of production, but as the playoffs approached, his game only got better. Historically, he’s been an excellent player in the postseason, with 101 points in 150 games, including 51 goals and 50 assists. He is hard to move off the puck and goes right to the dangerous areas of the ice, putting himself in good positions to create chaos in front of the net.
The last time the Devils were in the playoffs, he was consistently one of the best players on the ice. As a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, he has ample experience in postseason situations, and it showed with New Jersey, as he put seven points (3g,4a) in 12 games.
Stefan Noesen – Noesen’s style of play lends itself nicely to the series against Carolina. As a former Hurricane, he knows their system and the intensity of their checking, and he can match that.
Noesen made his living at the net front for New Jersey this season and put up a career-high goal total of 22. Half of those goals came on the power play. He had a knack for finding rebounds and creating second and third opportunities in the blue paint. For the Devils to have success, they must create traffic in front of Carolina’s netminder, and Noesen will do just that.
Cody Glass – A trade deadline acquisition, Glass has been a perfect fit in New Jersey. He’s put up two goals and five assists for seven points in just 14 games with the Devils. Glass has 36 total shot attempts in New Jersey, with 13 reaching the net. His shooting percentage is 15.4%, good for fifth on the team. He also has a +4 rating and is nearly 50% at the face-off dot.
The Devils will need depth scoring to get past the Hurricanes, and Glass brings some offense without compromising defense. He has speed and makes smart decisions with the puck, which could be key for the Devils as they try to match and expose Carolina’s bottom six.
For the Hurricanes…
Jack Roslovic – Roslovic isn’t known as a two-way forward, but his offensive numbers have been good this season, particularly against the Devils. In four games against New Jersey, he’s tallied five points, including three goals and two primary assists.
He has 36 previous playoff games with the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers and has two goals and 11 assists in that time.
Jackson Blake – In his first full season, Blake has been a strong addition to the Hurricanes’ lineup. He’s played 80 games and notched 17 goals and assists for 34 points. In four games against New Jersey, he had two goals and an assist.
Blake has no previous playoff experience.
Jacob Slavin – Slavin is the blueprint for a defensive defenseman. He doesn’t put up many points from the back end, but is one of the best at breaking up plays. He averages 21:34 of time on ice per game, the most of any skater on the Hurricanes. Additionally, he’s recorded 136 blocked shots, nearly 40 more than his next closest teammate, and has a team-best 61 takeaways.
Slavin has 71 games of playoff experience, all with Carolina. He has seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points in six consecutive playoff runs for the Hurricanes. He also has an impressive +34 rating and averages 24:08 of time on ice.
Key Injuries
The Devils have a few key injuries that undoubtedly contributed to their underdog status going into the first round.
Jack Hughes is the standout name that won’t be available for the Devils until next season. Hughes sustained a shoulder injury early in March against the Vegas Golden Knights and underwent shoulder surgery that ended his season.
Jonas Siegenthaler’s absence is a huge blow to New Jersey’s back end. Siegenthaler sustained a lower-body injury in February after crashing into the boards against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before the injury, he played with Johnathan Kovacevic, and they served as an elite shut-down pair for the Devils.
New Jersey acquired Brian Dumoulin at the deadline to fill Siegenthaler’s spot, which stabilizes the defense group, but his absence is noticeable in the lineup.
Siegenthaler hasn’t been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs, should the Devils make a deep run, but head coach Sheldon Keefe stated that he would be “surprised” to see the defenseman play in the first round.
As for the Hurricanes, they don’t have any notable injuries.
Path to Victory
Score First
The Devils have a good chance if they get on the board first and lead or are tied after period one. When they score first, they have a 29-8-3 record. On the road, they are 19-4-1 when they tally the first goal, which could loom large as they travel to Raleigh for games one and two.
Contrarily, when the Devils allow the first goal, they are just 13-25-4.
At the other end of the ice, the Hurricanes have a 30-7-2 overall record when scoring first, and a 17-23-3 record when they allow the first goal. When Carolina is trailing after the first period, they are 9-19-3, but when they are tied, they are 18-7-0.
New Jersey will have to improve its first period, the lowest-scoring period for the Devils and the only one where they have a negative goal differential. They have scored 53 first-period goals and allowed 59. On the road, however, they have outscored their opponents 31-28 in the first 20 minutes.
Shot Suppression
Keefe described the Hurricanes as a team that will “shoot from the parking lot,” and the Devils will have to combat that, at least slightly. They can’t afford to let Carolina set up in their zone for extended periods and open fire on the Devils’ netminder. The Hurricanes have one of the best cycle offenses, so blocked shots will be crucial and will have to come from every skater, not just the defensemen, like Brett Pesce, who tallied a team-leading 138 blocks.
New Jersey will also have to contend with Carolina’s intense forecheck. They will have to win puck battles in their zone and use their size and physicality to force turnovers. If the Devils can do that and quickly exit the D-zone, the neutral zone opens up, allowing dangerous chances off the rush. New Jersey will have to be fast and crisp with zone exits to expose Carolina’s system, but if they can get clean exits and move up ice, they have plenty of high-end talent to finish their chances.
Special Teams
The Devils have the edge as far as special teams. New Jersey’s power play ranks third in the league, operating at 28.2%. Only the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights are better. Their penalty kill is even better, ranking second in the league at 82.7%.
The only team with a better penalty kill than New Jersey is the Hurricanes, whose penalty kill operates at 83.6%. However, Carolina’s power play is the eighth worst in the NHL, with just an 18.7% success rate.
In the season series, the Devils converted on three of their eight power-play attempts, and if they can continue at that rate, while maintaining an elite penalty kill, they will have a good shot at winning games.
Depth
One of Carolina’s biggest strengths is depth scoring and balanced lines. The Devils have stronger top-end talent, which can be seen in the comparison between goal, assist, and point leaders between the two teams. The Hurricanes make up for that with a strong bottom six that is nearly as capable of scoring as their top lines.
New Jersey’s bottom six will have to step up to try and neutralize their opponents. On paper, the Devils’ top six can outscore Carolina’s, but it won’t matter if the other two lines are drastically outmatched. Jordan Staal and Slavin will undoubtedly match up against one of New Jersey’s top lines, making depth scoring even more important. If the bottom six can’t provide goal support, they must at least stifle some of the Hurricanes’ depth goalscoring to give the Devils a chance.
Goaltending
Perhaps the most crucial key to the Devils’ success comes in the net. Markstrom and Allen have been one of the better goaltending tandems in the league and have a combined .904 save percentage on the season. Together, they average 2.58 goals against per game. As a team, the Devils have nine shutouts in 82 games. Markstrom and Allen recorded four each, and Nico Daws also notched one.
At the other end of the ice, Kochetkov and Andersen have a combined .899 SV% with a 2.55 GAA. Carolina has five shutouts on the season, with two by Kochetkov and one each by Andersen, Tokarski, and Martin.
The Hurricanes shelter their netminders and limit shots on net because they primarily play with the puck on their sticks, which contributes to the lower GAA. However, when shots make it through to their net, they go in at a higher rate than with Markstrom and Allen in the crease, a good sign for the Devils.
Even if the Devils are on their game defensively, putting shots on net is Carolina’s M.O., and whoever is in the net for New Jersey will have to be ready to face a high shot volume. Both goaltenders have shown numerous times that they can steal games for the Devils, and if the team gets close to that kind of performance, they are in better shape.
How to Watch
Games 1-4 are set, and any additional games that may be needed will be scheduled at a later date.
The puck drops for game one at 3:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 20th. It can be viewed nationally on ESPN, SN, SN360, and TVAS.
Game two is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd at 6:00 p.m. EST, also on ESPN, SN360, and TVAS 2.
The series transitions to the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Friday, April 25th at 8:00 p.m. EST. The game airs on TBS, Max, SN360, and TVAS 2.
Game four is set for Sunday, April 27th at 3:30 p.m. EST on TBS, truTV, Max, SN, SN360, and TVAS.
For those in the local New Jersey market, each game of the first round will be on MSGSN with the usual MSG Network crew of Bill Spaulding, Ken Daneyko, Bryce Salvador, and Rachel Herzog on the call. Pregame and postgame coverage is also included.
ITR 34: End Of The Road – Inside The Rink
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