Hurricanes-Devils is familiar. What questions remain for Canes in NHL playoffs?
A Stanley Cup playoff series between the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils conjures up memories of years gone by — and there are many.
There was the “Shock at the Rock” and “Marty’s Meltdown.” There was Scott Stevens staggering Canes captain Ron Francis with a megaton hit, and Eric Staal’s goal seconds before the horn to force overtime. Two years ago, there was Canes forward Jordan Martinook’s imitation of Wayne Gretzky, piling up points at a rapid pace.
In an interesting twist, there also was Stefan Noesen dropping the gloves and beating up the Devils’ Erik Haula, a pivotal moment in the 2023 series that the Canes won in five games. The two now are Devils teammates.
But enough. It’s time to make more memories.
The puck will drop Sunday just after 3 p.m. in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series between the Hurricanes and Devils at Lenovo Center.
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The Canes and Devils finished behind the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division as the Caps secured the top seed in the conference. The Hurricanes, second in the Metro with 99 points, hold the home-ice edge over the Devils and were 31-9-1 at home this season.
The Hurricanes go into the best-of-seven series relatively healthy and relatively refreshed. The Devils will be without dynamic center Jack Hughes, who was lost for the season after shoulder surgery in March.
Some NHL observers believed this might be a bridge season for the Hurricanes, possibly a non-playoff year, considering the players leaving after last season. Among them was defenseman Brett Pesce, a fixture on the Canes blue line who signed with … the Devils.
“Everybody thought we were going to take a step back,” Martinook said.
But the Hurricanes now have played seven seasons with Rod Brind’Amour as head coach and are 7-for-7 in playoff appearances. They have won at least one playoff series in each of the past six years and twice reached the Eastern Conference final.
“The standard,” Brind’Amour said, “has been set.”
But for all of the good feelings about another playoff run, there are still plenty of questions surrounding this year’s team:
What about the goaltending?
This always seems to be the first question asked about the Canes come playoff time — and it should be.
The Hurricanes used Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov in a goalie rotation much of the regular season, when Andersen has been healthy. Both have had streaks of brilliance and then some spotty play — each allowing seven goals in recent games.
Andersen, 35, has 72 games of playoff experience, 19 with the Hurricanes. A year ago, he started 10 games and had a 2.62 goals-against average and .895 save percentage as Brind’Amour doggedly stuck with him — Kochetkov had one start.
In the regular season this year, Kochetkov started 47 games, winning 27 of them, with a 2.60 GAA and .898 save percentage. Andersen started 22, most coming after another extended stint on the injured list.
How far can the Canes ride a relatively rested and healthy Andersen this year? Or will they?
Will Alexander Nikishin play?
The Hurricanes signed the talented and touted Russian defenseman out of the KHL and hoped to have his visa issues solved before the end of the NHL regular season. It didn’t quite work out that way, but Nikishin now has his U.S. visa and got his first look around the Lenovo Center on Friday.
Now what?
Nikishin has not played in Brind’Amour’s system and has no feel for his new teammates. It’s possible he could be sent to the Chicago Wolves in the AHL for a few games and be available for the Canes when needed in the playoffs. Or, he could practice with the Canes from the jump.
Nikishin, 23, is a big guy at 6-3 and 220 pounds. The Canes could use his size and skills on the blue line. But it’s tough to just put on the skates and jump into the cauldron that is the Stanley Cup playoffs.
What about special teams?
If you go strictly by the numbers, the Devils ranked third in the NHL on the power play (28.2%) and the Canes were No. 1 in penalty killing (83.6%). Seems like a virtual standoff.
But consider the Devils finished the regular season second in penalty killing at 82.7%. Given that the Hurricanes were 25th on the power play (18.7), the special-teams edge could belong to New Jersey. For the record: The Devils scored three power-play goals in splitting the four-game season series, and the Canes had two.
The Canes’ Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho are dangerous penalty killers, always looking to create shorthanded offensive chances. Jarvis had five shorthanded goals this season, tied for third in the NHL, and Aho had three.
How many times has Brind’Amour noted that special teams often are the difference in playoff games? Could be again.
Are the Canes feeling the heat?
The Hurricanes have become playoff regulars, but have not won an Eastern Conference final game since Brind’Amour was the team captain and the Canes won the Cup in 2006.
Every spring, the front of the arena has had 16 boxes on the facade, each to be filled after a Canes playoff win. Eight boxes filled has been the limit.
Could the Canes be feeling the pressure to perform better, to reach a Stanley Cup final?
“It’s been a very trendy pick to to pick them to win the Stanley Cup or get to the final,” ESPN analyst Sean McDonough said on a media call. “Now, nobody is talking about them, and they still have a pretty good team, but they have the same kind of team. They tried to add (Mikko) Rantanen, and we saw how that went.
“I just don’t know where they are right now and what the future looks like if they don’t have a successful run in the playoffs. It seems like not a lot of people are picking them to have a very successful run in the playoffs this time around..”
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 11:23 AM.
