Don't let their recent success fool you. The Carolina Hurricanes haven't always been a franchise known for their postseason excellence. From 1998 to 2009, the Canes only made the postseason five times. They had some good battles with Boston and Montreal during that time, but four of those five trips featured a series with the New Jersey Devils.
Those four encounters all came in the 2000s, taking place in the conference quarterfinals in 2001, 2002, and 2009 and in the conference semifinals in 2006. The Hurricanes won three of the four series, which wouldn't give the greatest impression as to how close some of those series were. In fact, a few of them rank among the best in franchise history.
Scott Stevens set the tone for their first-ever meeting in 2001. He knocked Shane Willis and Ron Francis out of the series in consecutive games, leading to a 3-0 series lead. The Canes held on for two wins before New Jersey finished the job in Game 6. The following year, Kevin Weekes stole the series from the Devils, snatching Game 5 before winning their first series in six games.
The only series that never felt close came in 2006. The Canes set the tone by chasing Martin Brodeur in Game 1. Then, Game 2 was an all-timer, featuring a late tying goal from Eric Staal and Niclas Wallin's overtime winner. Carolina won the series in five. 2009 was back and forth, but "The Shock at the Rock" in Game 7 helped the Canes stun the Devils.
All of this came while the teams weren't division adversaries. The Canes operated out of the Southeast, while the Devils were in the Atlantic. Yet, there was still so much animosity generated from their numerous postseason clashes. Since the divisions realigned and the teams were placed in the Metropolitan Division, it hasn't quite hit the same. So, why is that?
It doesn't help that the Canes' success hasn't overlapped with the Devils'
After the realignment, the Canes and the Devils were regulars at the bottom of the division. Over the first four seasons, they were in the bottom three all four years. The Devils made the playoffs as a Wild Card team in 2018, while the Canes' postseason drought extended one more year. However, everything changed in Raleigh beyond then.
Since that berth in 2018, the Devils have struggled with consistency. Since 2019, they've finished in the bottom two of the division more times (4) than they've made the playoffs (2). The Canes haven't missed the playoffs, winning the Metro three times in the last five years. They're at two different stages right now. The head-to-head results skew heavily in one direction, too.
Since the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, when the Canes and the Devils did not play because they were in different divisions, the Hurricanes have won 22 of the last 29 regular season and postseason meetings. Last season was the second time in three years that the Canes swept the season series, winning all four games by at least two goals.
Their postseason series in 2023 and 2025 haven't been the most exciting either. In 2023, the first four games were incredibly lopsided, three of which were in the Canes' favor. Game 5 was tight, with the Canes finishing the series in overtime. It was a little more exciting in 2025, with two games decided in double overtime. Still, the Canes won that opening-round matchup in five games, too.
On top of all of this, the sandpaper hasn't been there. Maybe it's because of how the game has changed. Tempers flared a little during Game 3 in 2023. Sebastian Aho and Jack Hughes got into a wrestling match, and Stefan Noesen dropped the gloves with Caniac-favorite Erik Haula. Otherwise, the fireworks have paled in comparison to their 2000s animosity.
Maybe I'm putting too much stock into how much the Canes and the Devils disliked each other from 2000 to 2009. Still, the amount of magical moments that came from these two squaring off, especially in the playoffs, makes it one of the franchises' premier rivalries of the early North Carolina days. It just doesn't quite hit the same in 2026. Maybe we can get that back someday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google