Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stat

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2nd

Puck drop3 Apr · 5:00 PM ET

VenueLenovo Center

All-time meetings144 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-six points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113, and the 2025-26 season series went CAR 4-0-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 145

Across 144 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 72-58-14.

All-time record72-58-14New Jersey's record in the series

Meetings played144This is number 145

2025-26 seriesCAR 4-0-0

Last 55-0Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

28 Mar 2026NJD 2 – CAR 5——CAR

17 Jan 2026CAR 4 – NJD 1——CAR

4 Jan 2026CAR 3 – NJD 1——CAR

9 Oct 2025NJD 3 – CAR 6——CAR

29 Apr 2025NJD 4 – CAR 5 OT——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyCarolina

9 Oct 20250-1-0 · 0 pts29th1-0-0 · 2 pts8th

4 Jan 202622-18-2 · 46 pts16th25-14-3 · 53 pts5th

17 Jan 202624-22-2 · 50 pts25th30-15-4 · 64 pts2nd

28 Mar 202637-33-2 · 76 pts21st46-20-6 · 98 pts3rd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, New Jersey were 29th in the league and Carolina 8th. By 28 Mar 2026 it was 21st and 3rd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted New Jersey 264 to 200

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

200 att · 100 on goal · 7 G · 7.0%

Crease6 att · 0 G

Slot86 att · 4 G

Wing81 att · 3 G

Point20 att · 0 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Carolina Hurricanes

264 att · 132 on goal · 18 G · 13.6%

Crease23 att · 3 G

Slot105 att · 9 G

Wing90 att · 5 G

Point36 att · 0 G

Neutral zone10 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyCarolina

3.52xG for per game3.74

3.01xG against per game2.21

53.9%xG share62.9%

−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0

−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 4 for Carolina. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.1%

Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183

Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

77Luke Evangelista32131.00

86Jack Hughes31120.67

63Jesper Bratt30220.67

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

7Dougie Hamilton31120.67

43Luke Hughes31010.33

47Declan Chisholm30110.33

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 31 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 2 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Mar

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7

Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Mar

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

28 Mar 20267 · NJD 2–5 CAR

17 Jan 20265 · CAR 4–1 NJD

4 Jan 20264 · CAR 3–1 NJD

9 Oct 20259 · NJD 3–6 CAR

29 Apr 20259 · NJD 4–5 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

Injury report

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

Full draft

Saturday 3 April · the full slate

See all: Saturday 3 April · the full slate →

CARThis game 6:00 PM ET

Updated after every final