For the seventh straight season, the Carolina Hurricanes have won a postseason series. They finished their first-round meeting with the New Jersey Devils in five games on Tuesday night, courtesy of a double-overtime power-play goal from Sebastian Aho to beat the Devils, 5-4. The series ended in five games, but this series felt close throughout.
While the Devils entered the playoffs with the fewest points of the 16 teams vying for the Stanley Cup, they didn't play like it. They gave the Hurricanes fits at various points. If not for a furious comeback in Game 5, we'd be talking about Game 6 in Newark. A lot of that stems from the excellent work of Jacob Markstrom in keeping his team in the fight.
Despite their best efforts, the Devils didn't have enough to best the Hurricanes this time around. From top to bottom, the Canes were the better team. Whether it was the depth, their special teams, or their goaltending, the Hurricanes prevailed. Here's a breakdown of the first round series and how the first round was conquered.