Second Round Preview | BIG READ

The Devils find themselves in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes find themselves in the Second Round for the third straight season. However, Carolina hasn't made it to the Conference Final since 2019.

The Devils and Hurricanes present mirrored images and mirrored results. The two clubs finished No. 1 (Carolina) and No. 2 (New Jersey) in the Metro Division. A mere one point separated the two teams (113-112). That's how close the two squads were, but that one point means the Hurricanes have home-ice advantage and open Game 1 at Raleigh.

The two clubs are also built very similarly, relying on speed and tenacity. Both teams like to create off the rush and activate their defense to create odd-numbered situations. For the Devils, speed and puck possession are everything. Their defensive structure and offensive attack are based on their speed. They apply overwhelming pressure. The Hurricanes also have good speed, but rely more on a relentless and physical forecheck in the offensive zone.

One factor in the series could be health. The Hurricanes are missing one of their best offensive players in Andrei Svechnikov (torn ACL) as well as Teuvo Teravainen (broken hand) and Max Pacioretty (torn Achilles).

The two teams met four times during the regular season. Both teams were 2-1-1 in the series while splitting at home. In North Carolina, the Devils won (5-3, Jan. 10) and lost (4-1, Dec. 20). At Prudential Center, the Devils won (3-0, March 12) and lost (5-4 shootout, Jan. 1).

Devils forward Jesper Bratt led his team in both goals (4) and points (6). Jack Hughes was right behind him with three goals and five points. Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier also posted two goals each in the season series. Sebastian Aho notched two goals and a team-best four points while Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2g-1a) and Stefan Noesen (1g-2a) each notched three points.

First Round Recap

It was a long, hard-fought series for the New Jersey Devils in their First Round matchup and it was also filled with valuable lessons. In their first playoff series since 2018, things started out bleak. Whether it be for nerves, inexperience or maybe both, the first two games were a crash course in playoff hockey. The Devils had the home-ice advantage, but the Rangers had the experience, taking the first two games of the series at Prudential Center, both by 5-1 scorelines. 

Then came Game 3. It was a turning point in the series. 

Lindy Ruff and his staff made the call to make a goalie change, always a risk, particularly at this time of year. Making matters even more heightened, they were putting in a 22-year-old goaltender, who had played just 18 games this season, 14 as a starter. 

The move immediately paid dividends, making Ruff and his staff look like geniuses. Schmid backstopped the Devils in Game 3 to a close 2-1 overtime victory. Dougie Hamilton won the game with his goal, just past the halfway mark of the first overtime period. 

They were back in it and playing like they've played all season, fast, intense, and energetic. They made the Rangers look slow and old, particularly in comparison to the Devils exuberance and youth. 

Game 4 the Rangers could only muster one shot past Schmid, the Devils responding with three goals. Even series. 

Back at Prudential Center for Game 5, Schmid posted the first of his two playoff shutouts and Erik Haula contributed two of the Devils 4 goals against Igor Shesterkin. The Devils were on to Game 6 with a chance to eliminate the Rangers. 

The Rangers pushed back, winning their first - and only - home game of the series with a 5-2 victory taking the series to the distance to a Game 7. 

In the seventh game of the series, the Devils skated circles around the Rangers and Schmid backstopped the team to a second shutout. The 4-0 scoreline eliminated the Rangers and the Devils move on to the Second Round.

Haula finished the series leading the team in points with six (4g-2a), while Jack Hughes (3g-2a), Ondrej Palat (2g-3a) and Nico Hischier (0g-5a) all finished with five points. 

For the Hurricanes, their First Round series with the New York Islanders didn't quite go the full distance, ending in six games. 

Carolina finished the season in the Metropolitan Division top spot, while the Islanders made it in as the first Wild Card team. 

In Game 1 between the Canes and Islanders, special teams played the biggest factor. The Hurricanes opened the series at home with a win scoring two power play goals on Ilya Sorokin, and their penalty killers went 4-for-4.

Game 2 went to overtime, with Jesper Fast scoring early, needing just 5:03 of extra time to put the Hurricanes up 2-0 in the series.

As the series headed to Long Island, the Islanders and Hurricanes split the two games. The Islanders won Game 3, 5-1, and it would prove to be a very costly loss for the Hurricanes. Already without top player Andrei Svechnikov the Hurricanes lost another one of their top offensive talents when Teuvo Teravainen was slashed by Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the third period.

Immediately after the game head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced that Teravianen had a broken hand that would require immediate surgery and is out indefinitely with no clear timeline as to his potential return. 

Despite the adversity of losing one of their top players, the Hurricanes went up 3-1 in the series, ending an eight-game road losing streak in the playoffs, dating back to last post-season. 

With a chance to close out the series on home ice, the Islanders were not going to go down that easily. They kept their playoff lives in tact, defeating the Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 5. It the game with an infamous Kyle Palmeri goal, where defending in front of the net, Carolina's Sebastian Aho had a puck deflect off his face and Palmieri then whacked it out of the air behind Raanta. 

And then came Game 6, where the Hurricanes ended the Islanders season when Paul Stastny whiped a shot in overtime at Sorokin from a near-impossible angle. The puck deflected off Sorokin's skate and into the net, stunning the Islanders and ending their season. 

Finishing in six games, the Hurricanes have been off from competition since April 28 awaiting their Second Round opponent.

Coaches

Lindy Ruff just coached the Devils to their first playoff series win since 2012. He's coached 127 career playoff games with a 70-57 record, including this years First Round. 

He is joined by associate coach Andrew Brunette, assistant coaches Chris Taylor and Ryan McGill behind the Devils bench, while assistant coach Sergei Brylin is the eye-in-the-sky for the coaching staff during games. 

Dave Rogalski has been the Devils goalie coach for the last three seasons.

Rod Brind'Amour has been behind the Carolina Hurricanes bench as the head coach since 2018, he joined the coaching staff in 2011 as an assistant coach where he also held the role of development coach. 

His name has been synonymous with the franchise ever since his playing days, leading the franchise, as the captain, to their only Stanley Cup victory in 2006. But his coaching record and accolades are just as prominent. In 2021 he became the first Carolina head coach to guide the team to three consecutive post-seasons and won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach. 

In his first season with the Hurricanes as head coach the team has a 46-29-7, finishing fourth in the Metropolitan and losing to the Bruins in the Conference Finals. For the past three seasons Brind'Amour has coached the Hurricanes to the top of the Metropolitan standings and during his tenure, the cub has never failed to miss the playoffs. 

In 370 regular season games behind the bench, Brind'Amour has a 226-107-37 record. In the playoffs, Brind'Amour has a 28-26 record including this current post-season. 

The 52-year-old is surrounded by assistant coach Jeff Daniels who is in his 25th season with the franchise. This is his second tenure as an assistant coach with the club, previously serving in that same role from 2003-08. He has spent the last four seasons coaching under Brind'Amour. Tim Gleason, also a former player like Brind'Amour, is in his first season as an assistant coach.

Paul Schonfelder has been the goaltending coach for the last four seasons.

Forwards

Devils center Jack Hughes is the driver of New Jersey's offensive attack. He enjoyed a historic season personally and in terms of the Devils franchise. Hughes posted a new franchise-record 99 points on 43 goals and 56 assists. He followed that up with three goals and five points in the playoffs. 

He's been every bit the generational talent that the team expected when it drafted him first overall in 2019. If he hadn't missed four games with an injury, he would have likely broken the 100-point barrier.  

The Devils added Timo Meier at the NHL's trading deadline. He finished the year with his first 40-goal campaign, nine of which came with New Jersey. Meier has a nasty shot and finish. And what's more, he's shown a physicality that has been a huge asset in the postseason. 

Captain Nico Hischier (31) and forward Jesper Bratt (32) both recorded their first 30-goal campaigns, to give the Devils four 30-goal scorers. Dawson Mercer had a breakout offensive season in his sophomore year, posting 27 goals and 55 points. That included an eight-game goal scoring streak (10 total) as part of a 12-game scoring streak for 20 points (11g-9a). 

Tomas Tatar enjoyed a bounce-back year with 20 goals. Ondrej Palat dealt with a prolonged groin injury during the regular season but has shone thus far in the playoffs. The two-time Stanley Cup champion not only brings the pedigree, experience and battle to the playoffs, he chipped in two goals and a huge assist in Game 7 of the First Round against New York. Erik Haula had six goals in his last seven regular-season games, riding a hot streak heading into the playoffs. That carried over as he tallied a team-best four goals and six points. 

Jesper Boqvist has been a great swing player all season, going from wing to center. Yegor Sharangovich is a fast player and solid penalty killer. New Jersey's fourth line could be really effective in the playoffs with the speed of Miles Wood and the physicality of Nathan Bastian, Michael McLeod and Curtis Lazar. 

Sebastian Aho leads the way for Carolina, as he has for the past six years. He paced the club with 36 goals, his fourth 30-goal campaign, while ranking second on the team with 67 points. Forward Martin Necas had a breakout season, leading the team in scoring with 71 points on 28 goals and 43 assists. The Hurricanes will miss Andrei Svechnikov and his 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games. 

Carolina relied on Jesperi Kotkaniemi (43 points), second-year Seth Jarvis (39), Teuvo Teravainen (37), Stefan Noesen (36), captain Jordan Staal (34) and Jordan Martinook (34) for secondary scoring. Veteran Paul Stastny has three playoff goals, including the series-clinching overtime goal in Game 6 against the New York Islanders. The strength of the Hurricanes' forward group has been its scoring depth.

Defense

The Devils defensive unit has improved dramatically over the past two years. They're led offensively by Dougie Hamilton, who set career highs across the board with 22 goals, 52 assists and 74 points. Hamilton's 22 goals tied the Devils franchise record for a defenseman. He scored perhaps the biggest goal of the opening round for the team with the overtime winner in Game 3 that flipped the series. Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler, a steady defensive defenseman, have played the majority of the season together. 

Ryan Graves and John Marino have been a consistent pair all season long and have a good rhythm together. They've been relied upon as the team's defensive shutdown pairing. And they answered that challenged in Round One. 

The rapid development of Kevin Bahl has been one of many pleasant surprises this season. He's been paired with the offensively gifted Damon Severson of late and has shown himself capable and solid in his own zone while working the top pair. The Devils also have the physical Brendan Smith and rookie blue chip prospect Luke Hughes as added depth.  

Arguably, the strength of the Hurricanes comes from their defense corps. The ageless Brent Burns - who does have an age and it's 38 - turned in one of the best performances of his 19-year NHL career. He posted 18 goals and 61 points to lead all Carolina blueliners. He's been paired with Jaccob Slavin, who is the epitome of the steady defensive defenseman. 

Brady Skjei set a career high with 18 points (blowing out his previous high of nine) to go with 38 points on the year. Partner Brett Pesce set career highs with 25 assists and his first 30-point season. 

The Hurricanes acquired power-play specialist Shayne Gostisbehere at the trade deadline. He totaled 41 points with Carolina and Arizona on the year. Jalen Chatfield and Calvin de Haan round out the unit.

Goaltending

The Devils handed the keys to the car to rookie goaltender Akira Schmid in net. All he's done is provide another phenomenal storyline to an already storybook season. 

Schmid, who took over as the team's starter in Game 3 and led them to a series victory after going 4-1 with a 1.38 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. His GAA and save percentage both lead all NHL goalies this postseason (two games played minimum). 

The Devils also have Vitek Vanecek at the ready. Vanecek was acquired in the off-season via trade from Washington with the hopes that he could challenge Mackenzie Blackwood for the role as starter, providing a healthy 1a-1b duo in net. But with Blackwood suffering various injuries, the Devils turned to Vanecek heavily during the regular season, and he was more than up to the challenge. 

Vanecek set career highs in every category after playing in 52 games, going 33-11-4 with a 2.45 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Though he had a tough opening two games in the postseason, the results were less about Vanecek's play and more of an indictment of the team's play in front of him. 

Mackenzie Blackwood is a third option for the squad. Blackwood has had some nice flashes but has fought through an injury-riddled season for the second year in a row. 

The Hurricanes rode Antti Raanta in the first five games of their First Round series against the New York Islanders. He went 3-2 with a 2.59 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. The club turned to Frederik Andersen for Game 6 and he clinched the series by allowing just one goal on 35 shots. 

The team split their crease during the regular season between Raanta, Andersen and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov. Raanta was by far the most effective, going 19-3-3 with a 2.23 GAA and .910 save percentage.

Special Teams

Devils Power Play (16.7, 13th) vs. Hurricanes Penalty Kill (94.4, 1st)

Devils Top PP unit: Hamilton, Hischier, Hughes, Mercer and Palat

Hurricanes top PK unit: Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce

Player to Watch: Hughes

It's going to take a special shot to break through the Hurricanes penalty killers and Jack Hughes is the one who can hit the mark with pin-point accuracy. 

Hurricanes Power play (20.0, 9th) vs. Devils Penalty Kill (82.1, 5th)

Hurricanes Top PP unit:Stefan Noesen, Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas and Brent Burns. 

Devils Top PK unit: Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Ryan Graves, John Marino

Player to Watch: Noesen

During the regular season former Devil Noesen has carved out a spot for himself with seven power-play goals this past regular season and another 8 man-advantage assists. In the opening six games of the playoffs, Noesen already has four power-play points (2g-2a).