Devils clinch, will play Hurricanes in 1st round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New Jersey Devils clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday and will play the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

Carolina (46-27-5) clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division and home-ice advantage against New Jersey (41-30-7) when it earned a point in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Devils had clinched a spot in the playoffs on Wednesday when the New York Rangers lost 8-5 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Forward Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 77 games this season, and forward Seth Jarvis is second with 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists) in 71 games. Ten players have scored at least 10 goals for Carolina this season. Pyotr Kochetkov is 26-15-3 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 45 games this season, and Frederik Andersen is 13-6-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .911 save percentage in 20 games, missing 39 games with a knee injury.

The Devils are led by Jesper Bratt, who has a career-high 88 points (21 goals, 67 assists) in 78 games this season, and fellow forward Nico Hischier, who has 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) in 72 games. Center Jack Hughes had 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in March. Goalie Jacob Markstrom, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames in a trade during the offseason, is 26-15-6 with a 2.53 GAA and .899 save percentage in 48 games this season. Jake Allen is 12-15-1 with a 2.59 GAA and .911 save percentage in 29 games (27 starts).

"It will be challenging," Hischier said. "We know they're a very hard team to play against. They don't give you much time. And we just got to be up, ready, up to the challenge. We got to be skating, they're very well skating team as well. So I'll be a fast game out there. They don't give you much room. Just got to be ready for that."

The teams split the season series, each going 2-2-0. Forward Jack Roslovic led Carolina with five points (three goals, two assists) in four games. Jarvis had four points (one goal, three assists) in three games, and Aho and Jackson Blake each scored two goals. Kochetkov started two games (1-1-0), allowing six goals, and Spencer Martin (17 saves in 4-2 loss on Nov. 21) and Dustin Tokarski (21 saves in a 5-2 win on Dec. 28) each started once. Andersen, who has been alternating starts with Kochetkov since returning from injury Jan. 20, has not faced New Jersey this season.

The Devils were led by Bratt, who had seven points (two goals, five assists) in four games against the Hurricanes, and Hughes, who had six points (one goal, five assists). Forwards Ondrej Palat and Hischier each had two goals. Markstrom was 2-1-0 with a 2.34 GAA and .916 save percentage in three games, and Allen allowed four goals on 40 shots in his only start, the loss on Dec. 28.

"They're really good 1-on-1. They're all over the ice and there's 1-on-1 battles," Bratt said. "When you play any team like that, they're hard on you. They're tight on you. You got to kind of make them turn. You got to play with a lot of speed. You got to be confident with the puck and win your battles. I mean, if you're weak in the battles, you're going to be playing in your own zone a lot. So this is something that we're going to talk about and I think we all know what kind of tests we're up for."

Carolina and New Jersey have met five times in the postseason. The Devils won the first series in six games in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, but the Hurricanes have won the past four. Their most recent series came in the Eastern Conference Second Round in 2023, which Carolina won in five games.

"I think of all the playoff [matchups] ours has been kind of sitting there for a long time," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday. "...When we know the (regular) season is over, we'll start diving into that (matchup)."

The Hurricanes, who have won at least one playoff round in each of the past six seasons, were eliminated by the New York Rangers in six games in the second round last season. The Devils last made the postseason in 2023.

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale contributed to this report