The Carolina Hurricanes have made a habit of seeing the New Jersey Devils in the spring and, more often than not, sending them home. Since relocation, Carolina has faced New Jersey in the postseason more than any other opponent, and after the Devils won that first meeting in 2001, the Canes have answered with five straight series wins.
Two of those wins, separated by 19 years, came in five games. One was tighter, louder and packed with more late drama. The other produced one of the most famous finishes in franchise history.
In 2025, Carolina came out flying. The Hurricanes took control of the first two games at home, starting with a 4-1 win in which Jalen Chatfield opened the scoring with a wrister from the point that Jacob Markstrom never picked up through traffic. Logan Stankoven added two second-period goals, showing what he could become in the playoffs, and Andrei Svechnikov finished it off with an empty-netter.
Game 2 followed a similar script, even if Jesper Bratt struck first for New Jersey. Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook scored less than three minutes apart in the second period to swing it back Carolina’s way, with Martinook’s short-handed goal once again punishing the Devils after his work against them in 2023. Seth Jarvis sealed the 3-1 win with an empty-net goal, and the Canes were up 2-0.
New Jersey finally pushed back in Game 3, and Carolina nearly stole it anyway. Down 2-0 early in the third, the Hurricanes got power-play goals from Jarvis and Sebastian Aho to tie things up. But the night ended in disappointment when Simon Nemec scored in double overtime to get the Devils on the board.
Carolina answered in Game 4 the way Svechnikov so often does in the postseason. He recorded a hat trick, only the second playoff hat trick in his career and just the second in franchise history, and the Hurricanes rolled to a 5-2 win. The victory came with a cost, though, as Frederik Andersen went down early in the second period, forcing Pyotr Kochetkov into Game 5.
That finale turned wild fast. The Devils struck three times in 6:07 in the first period to jump ahead 3-0.
Carolina came right back with three goals in 3:54 in the second to tie it. Nico Hischier put New Jersey back in front less than two minutes later with his fourth goal of the series, but Aho answered on a 5-on-3 to make it even again.
Then, on Carolina’s 54th shot of the night and 183rd of the series, Aho buried another power-play one-timer in double overtime to beat Markstrom and end it.
If 2025 gave the series more fireworks, 2006 still gets the nod for sheer impact.
That Devils team arrived in Raleigh as the hottest club in the league, riding an 11-game winning streak to end the regular season and a sweep of the Rangers to open the playoffs. The Hurricanes met them with a 6-0 rout in Game 1, including five power-play goals.
Game 2 became the one everyone remembers. After the teams traded goals through the first two periods, New Jersey appeared ready to even the series when a double deflection went in with under 21 seconds left.
Then Eric Staal slipped the latest tying goal in franchise history past Martin Brodeur with three seconds left to force overtime. Niclas Wallin finished it there, scoring his third career overtime goal and putting Carolina ahead 2-0 in the series.
Game 3 in New Jersey was closer. The Devils scored first, but Matt Cullen and Justin Williams answered less than two minutes apart to give Carolina the lead.
Patrik Elias tied it in the second, and the captain restored the edge on the power play in the third. Cam Ward outdueled Brodeur again, and the Canes went up 3-0.
There would be no sweep. The Devils scored three special-teams goals in the first period, including two power-play strikes from Scott Gomez, then added two more early in the second and cruised to a 5-1 win. Mark Recchi got Carolina’s only goal.
New Jersey’s last stand came in Game 5, when it scored in the opening minute. That was its final goal of the series.
The Hurricanes answered with four straight and closed out a 4-1 win to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The image that lingered was the rookie shaking hands with his idol as Carolina put the Devils away again.
Across both series, the lesson was the same: the Hurricanes have known how to handle the Devils in the postseason ever since that 2001 loss. The 2025 team was younger, 2006 leaned on Eric Staal and a veteran supporting cast, but both ended the same way, with Carolina standing over New Jersey in May.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Quietly Added A Forward Prospect Fans Will Want To Track
The offseason shuffle around Carolinas development pipeline picked up another layer this week, with the Chicago Wolves keeping captain Josiah Slavin on a two-year one-way contract while the organization also added a different kind of forward depth to track. Stiven Sardarian, who recently led Michigan Tech in scoring and was named CCHA Forward of the Year, has been assigned to the Wolves as he begins his next step in pro hockey.
For Hurricanes fans, Sardarian is the name worth filing away. Carolina acquired his signing rights from Buffalo for future considerations, a low-key move that can pay off if a young skill player translates quickly at the AHL level. The Wolves remain the immediate landing spot, and Slavins new deal keeps one of their established leaders in place, but the longer-term question is whether Sardarians college production can make him a real part of the Hurricanes forward picture down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Look Like Metro Favorites But One Question Still Looms
The Metropolitan Division is shaping up as one of the NHLs most watchable races again, with the Hurricanes and Capitals standing out as the most likely teams to set the pace. Carolinas appeal is familiar by now: a deep, fast roster built to pressure opponents in waves, while Washington remains dangerous enough to make anyone looking past it think twice. Behind those two, the rest of the division has a wide range of expectations, from teams trying to prove they belong in the playoff mix to others still sorting out whether their roster strategy can hold up over a full season.
What keeps this division from feeling settled is the same issue that tends to decide spring, and it runs through the crease. Goaltending remains the great divider in the Metro, with every contender asking the same basic question in a different way: can the man in net carry enough of the load when the games tighten up? For Carolina, thats the one lingering variable in a forecast that otherwise looks strong, and it may be the thing that determines whether the Hurricanes are just a favorite on paper or the team everyone else has to chase. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Bring Team Spirit To Kids Who Need It Most
A small gesture with a big reach is giving pediatric patients around North Carolina a little more comfort and a lot more team spirit. The Carolina Hurricanes Foundation donated $10,000 to help provide 1,000 Canes-themed hospital gowns for children at ECU's Maynard Childrens Hospital, Duke Childrens Hospital and UNC Childrens Hospital, part of an effort designed to bring some color and familiarity into rooms where kids often need it most.
The gowns were created by Brave Gowns in collaboration with the nonprofit Kids Who Give, and members of the Foundation helped deliver them alongside Stormy, the Hurricanes' mascot. It is the kind of community-minded touch the organization likes to lean into, especially when the goal is as simple and meaningful as brightening a young patients day. [Read more 🡒]