Preview: Round 1, Game 1 vs. NJD

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes kick off their quest for a Stanley Cup on Sunday as they host the New Jersey Devils for Game 1 of their first-round series.

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When: Sunday, April 20

Puck Drop: 3:00 p.m. ET

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, ESPN, SN, SN360, TVAS | Learn More

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, via Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -210

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Canes Regular Season Record: 47-30-5 (99 Points, 2nd - Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 7-5 Loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, April 17

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Devils Regular Season Record: 42-33-7 (91 Points, 3rd - Metropolitan Division)

Devils Last Game: 5-2 Loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, April 16

Last Game...

• With seven lineup regulars not skating due to "bumps and bruises", the Canes had a rollercoaster affair against the Senators on Thursday night.
• After trailing 3-0, they scored five unanswered to take a 5-3 lead, but then allowed Ottawa to storm back with four in a row of their own, culminating in a 7-5 loss.

Revisiting The Regular Season Meetings...

• October 15: Jackson Blake bagged his first NHL goal in the third period to help the Canes notch their first win of the season, 4-2 over New Jersey at Lenovo Center.
• November 21: Carolina was "flat" during its second game in as many nights and came up short in a 4-2 loss to the Devils in Newark.
• December 27: Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 out of 31 shots faced for New Jersey, giving his team a 4-2 victory at Prudential Center.
• December 28: The Canes scored five times in the final 21:30 to pull past the Devils, 5-2.

Key Players...

• Jack Roslovic led the Canes with five points in those four games against New Jersey this season, including a three-point performance on December 28.
• For New Jersey, Jesper Bratt had a whopping seven points in four games against Carolina this season, featuring a three-point night in Newark on November 21.

In Net...

• In an extremely rare turn of events, Rod Brind'Amour revealed his probable Game 1 starter on Saturday, saying the team would "more than likely" open postseason play with Frederik Andersen (13-8-1 | 2.50 GAA | .899 SV%) between the pipes.
• Andersen had a bit of a rollercoaster regular season, starting it on fire, winning four of his first five starts and allowing two or fewer goals in each outing. Then, a knee injury sidelined him until January. When he returned, he was stellar, going 10-4 with a .914 save percentage from Jan. 20 - Apr. 2. However, in his final four appearances in the regular season, the veteran went 0-3-1 and allowed 20 goals in those four games.
• Brind'Amour and Goaltending Coach Paul Schonfelder will try to lean on the 35-year-old's experience over the younger Pyotr Kochetkov (27-16-3 | 2.60 GAA | .898 SV%), who could still make an appearance later on in the series if the Canes' every-other-game regular-season rotation in net continues into the playoffs.

On The Other Side...

• New Jersey will not have star center Jack Hughes for the series after he suffered a season-ending injury in early March. They'll also be without defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, at least to start the series.
• Even without those two key pieces, the Devils' have been spectacular on special teams. Finishing the regular season inside the league's top five on both power play (28.2% - 3rd) and penalty kill (82.7% - 2nd), they say special teams can make or break you in a series, and New Jersey arrives with plenty of confidence in both departments.
• In net, Jacob Markstrom's first season as a Devil was going swell, posting a .912 save percentage in his first 36 games. Since returning from an injury on Mar. 2? A concerning .869, which ranks as the third-worst among NHL goaltenders who have played at least 10 games during that time. On the other hand, Jake Allen has a much better .911 SV% during that time, albeit just in an eight-game sample size.

Injury Updates

• Forward Jesper Fast was ruled out for the 2024-25 season in August after having neck surgery.

What Are We Wearing?

• The Canes will wear their black uniforms at home throughout the postseason.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Monday and will return to action for Game 2 on Tuesday night at Lenovo Center.
• Next Game: Tuesday, April 22 | Round 1, Game 2 vs. New Jersey | 6 p.m. ET | Tickets | Parking