The Carolina Hurricanes are set to take on the New Jersey Devils in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Game 2 to follow on Friday at a time to be determined.
The Devils, who finished second in the Metropolitan Division behind the Hurricanes this season, punched their ticket to the second round by defeating the New York Rangers 4-0 in Game 7 on Monday night. The Hurricanes will have home ice advantage for the opening two games, with Game 1 taking place at PNC Arena in Raleigh on May 3.
The Canes split their regular season series with the Devils, winning the first two games before dropping the final two. As for the remainder of the series, the schedule has yet to be officially announced for Games 3 and 4 at the Devils’ home arena. However, fans should mark their calendars for a potential Game 5.
The Hurricanes are coming off a hard-fought series against the New York Islanders, with losing their three top players up front in Andrei Svechnikov, Max Pacioretty, and Teuvo Teravainen.
Despite these setbacks, the Canes were able to grind out a series victory and head coach Rod Brind’Amour praised the resilience of his team. “That says more about what’s still left in the room, really, in my opinion. Obviously, we did it, so there’s no reason why we can’t keep doing it. There’s definitely a belief in what’s left in that room.”
As the Hurricanes prepare for their Round 2 matchup with the Devils, fans can expect a highly competitive series between two talented teams vying for a chance to advance in the playoffs.
Players To Watch
Hurricanes:
- Sebastian Aho (4G-3A-7P)
- Stefan Noesen (2G-2A-4P)
- Seth Jarvis (2G-2A-4P)
- Brent Burns (5A-5P)
Devils:
- Erik Haula (4G-2A-6P)
- Jack Hughes (3G-2A-5P)
- Ondrej Palat (2G-3A-5P)
- Nico Hischier (5A-5P)
Round 1 Stats
New Jersey Carolina Hurricanes
17 Goals for 16
17 Goals Against 15
16.7% Power Play 20%
82.1% Penalty Kill 94.4%
51.5% Faceoff Win% 48.7%
29.4 Shots for/GP 35.0
27.9 Shots against/GP 29.0