There was little to dislike about the Carolina Hurricanes' first contest of the 2025-26 season on Thursday night. K'Andre Miller and Seth Jarvis scored twice each as the Canes scored six times, beating the New Jersey Devils, 6-3, and starting their quest for the Stanley Cup with a division win. Five Hurricanes recorded two points, getting the year off on the right foot.
Now that the first game is behind them, the pomp and circumstance can subside, and the Hurricanes can turn their focus toward the season at large. The new guys have settled in nicely. Now, it's time to meet the preseason expectations set for them all the way back in July. The first win is under their belt. Hopefully, it's the first of very many.
On the Other Side: Philadelphia Flyers
After finishing last in the division a year ago, the Philadelphia Flyers focused a lot of their attention internally this offseason, giving out a few big extensions. However, they did make one surprising move, adding Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks. Arguably, their biggest move was improving in the net, swapping Ivan Fedotov for Dan Vladar.
Philadelphia is dealing with a few lingering injuries on defense, with Oliver Bonk, Cam York, and Rasmus Ristolainen all nursing injuries. Ristolainen is likely out until November, while Bonk and York could return in the next week or two. Otherwise, the Flyers, under new head coach Rick Tocchet, seem to have things in order as they try to crack the top half of the division.
The Flyers opened their season in Sunrise on Thursday against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Vladar did everything he could to keep his team in the game, making 32 stops on 34 shots. However, the Flyers' offense didn't help him out as Philadelphia fell, 2-1, to the Florida Panthers. Noah Cates accounted for the lone Philly goal.
Last season: The Flyers were one of two division foes the Canes only faced three times last season. Carolina emerged victorious in all three encounters, outscoring the Flyers, 15-5. The first, and only, meeting in Raleigh ended with some heroics from Martin Necas before the Hurricanes steamrolled the Flyers on their ice twice.
Flyers to Watch
Matvei Michkov: Coming off an excellent rookie season and a 4th place finish in Calder voting, Michkov is trying to be a massive piece of the puzzle for the retooling Flyers. He scored 26 goals and 63 points a year ago but was kept off the board on Thursday. He recorded just one point a season ago against the Canes, picking up an assist.
Trevor Zegras: The Flyers hope that bringing in Zegras is the change of scenery he needs while helping them compete for a playoff spot. While their re-emergence doesn't feel imminent, getting Zegras back to top-notch production would help expedite the process. It was a lackluster debut for him, finishing without a shot and winning less than half of his face-offs.
Hurricanes to Watch
Andrei Svechnikov: While Thursday was an overall good night for the Hurricanes, the only line that struggled was the Stankoven line. Svechnikov was one of the few forwards who provided little to the group, turning the puck over before New Jersey tied the game at two in the second period. I expect to see him rebound in the second game.
Sean Walker: Thursday night was one of the first times we'd ever seen Walker and Slavin paired together. Putting Walker with one of the best defensive defensemen in the game should give him a little more freedom in the offensive zone. He didn't find the scoresheet in the first game, but Walker could do some damage against his former team.