Here’s when Hurricanes begin Round 2 Stanley Cup Playoff series vs. New Jersey Devils

The Carolina Hurricanes will face the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday at 7 p.m., with Game 2 to follow on Friday at 8 p.m., according to the NHL.

The Devils, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division behind the Canes this season, thumped the New York Rangers in Game 7 of their series Monday night, 4-0, to earn their way into the second round of the NHL playoffs.

Games 3 and 4 will be played at the Prudential Center, the Devils’ home arena. Game 3 is set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m., with Game 4 on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Game 5, if necessary, would be back at PNC Arena on Thursday, May 11. Game 6 would be in New Jersey on Saturday, May 13, and Game 7 would be in Raleigh on Monday, May 15.

The Canes went 2-2 against the Devils this season, winning the first two before falling in the second pair of games.

The NHL has been releasing dates and times piecemeal this postseason, mostly in deference to television rights-holder schedules, but the Canes’ series could get dicey with building availability, both at home and away.

The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., home of the Devils, has UFC 288 slated for Sat., May 6, Anita Baker is scheduled for Wed., May 10, a multi-star hip-hop show featuring Ashanti, Ja Rule, Lil’ Kim and others is on tap on Fri., May 12, and McDonald’s Gospelfest is scheduled for Sat., May 13.

With respect to a potential Game 5, Lizzo is set to perform at PNC Arena on Wed., May 10, and Stevie Nicks is slated to perform there on Fri., May 12.

The Hurricanes haven’t played since their Game 6 win over the Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Friday. The win has allowed the players and staff to collect itself after a grinder of a series against the Isles, which saw another Canes forward — Teuvo Teravainen — go down for the foreseeable future, alongside previously injured Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty. The series also saw a handful of Canes skaters cut, nicked and scraped.

“I don’t know how many teams can lose three top players up front. That’s a whole line,” Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour said Sunday. “And then expect to win in the playoffs? That’s really hard, but somehow we managed to do it.

“That says more about what’s still left in the room, really, in my opinion. Obviously, we did it, so there’s no reason why we can’t keep doing it. There’s definitely a belief in what’s left in that room.”

This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 12:28 AM.