Preview: Round 2, Game 1 vs. New Jersey

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils open their best-of-seven series on Wednesday at PNC Arena.

When: Wednesday, May 3
Puck Drop:7 p.m. ET
Watch:ESPN
Listen:99.9 The Fan,
Hurricanes.com/Listen
, Hurricanes App

Regular Season Head-To-Head Meetings

The Canes and Devils split their four-game season series with two wins each.

NEWS & NOTES

Limiting New Jersey's Speed:After facing the Islanders in the first round, a team whose identity is built on structure, the challenge for Carolina changes with the Devils. New Jersey plays the game with a lot of pace and has the ability to feast in the transition game. Look for the Canes to try and avoid that tonight, getting pucks behind the Devils' defense and force their opposition to escape the forechecking pressure.
Winning The Special Teams Battle:Carolina had a better power play and penalty kill, statistically, than the Devils in Round 1. During the regular season, the Canes certainly won the special teams battle against New Jersey too. Not only did the Devils go 0/13 on the power play, but Carolina also scored four shorthanded goals, the most by any single NHL team against one opponent during the regular season. Mind you, the Canes would like to have better success on the man advantage versus New Jersey themselves, going just 1/14 in four regular-season meetings.

In Net:Just like Game 1 in Round 1, it's a question mark as to who starts between the pipes tonight for Carolina. Does Goaltending Coach Paul Schonfelder and the staff go back to Antti Raanta after three wins in five starts during the first round, or do they stick with Frederik Andersen, who was outstanding in Game 6 on Long Island? Pyotr Kochetkov practiced with the Black Aces instead of the main group on both Monday and Tuesday, likely indicating that he is not considered an option, however, stranger things have happened.
No Morning Skate:Who is in net will be unknown until the start of warmups at 6:30 p.m. The team will not skate to start the day.

From The Blue Line:One of Carolina's biggest strengths all season long was the scoring from their defenseman, as the group posted a franchise-record 59 goals. Brady Skjei and Burns led the way with 18 goals each, finishing tied for third in goals by an NHL defenseman this season, trailing only Erik Karlson (25) and Dougie Hamilton (22). However, in Round 1, only Jaccob Slavin scored for the unit, producing one of the team's 16 goals.
Shooting For Three:Carolina went 46-5-5 when scoring three goals or more during the regular season, including two wins against the Devils. They are 2-0 in the postseason when reaching the benchmark.

INJURY UPDATES

Injuries are listed below in chronological order.

ADDITIONAL GAME INFORMATION

What Are We Wearing?:The Canes will be wearing their red anniversary sweaters for every home game in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carolina Ale House:Can't make it to the game? Visit any
Carolina Ale House
in the state to watch the Canes all throughout the playoffs.

AFTER THE FINAL HORN

Game 2 between the two teams will be Friday night at PNC Arena.
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to view the available ticket inventory.
Worth A Click:
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Burns' Impact & Experience In His First Season As A Hurricane
Learn More About Season Ticket Memberships For The 2023-24 Season