The New Jersey Devils will begin their 2025-26 NHL season on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. This marks a return to the site where their previous season concluded. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Hulu, and fans can also listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
The Devils finished last season third in the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes, who finished second, eliminated New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs by winning four games to one before advancing to the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost to the Florida Panthers.
Seth Jarvis led Carolina in goals last season with 32, while Sebastian Aho was their points leader with 74. For New Jersey, Nico Hischier scored a team-high 35 goals, and Jesper Bratt led in points with 88. Jack Hughes played only 62 games due to injury but managed 27 goals and 70 points, which would have put him on pace for 36 goals and 93 points over a full season.
During preseason play, New Jersey posted a record of 3-2-2 to finish third among Metropolitan Division teams. Carolina ended tied for last place in the division during preseason exhibitions with a record of 1-3-2.
Arseny Gritsyuk emerged as New Jersey’s top scorer during the preseason, tallying two goals and three assists for five points across six games. Paul Cotter contributed three goals and four points over five games. Simon Nemec and Jack Hughes each recorded four assists. For Carolina, goaltender Frederik Andersen performed well despite limited team success, posting a 1.50 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in two appearances. Rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin collected three points in four games, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored twice in his two outings.
Injury updates ahead of tonight’s game include several Devils players: Kovacevic (knee) is listed month-to-month; Noesen (groin) is day-to-day; Casey (lower body), Pesce (undisclosed), McLaughlin (undisclosed), and Lammikko (undisclosed) are also sidelined. The Hurricanes will be without Slavin (undisclosed) and Miller (undisclosed), both considered day-to-day.
Last regular season’s meetings between these teams resulted in each side winning twice: New Jersey won both home games against Carolina by identical scores of 4-2 but lost both away contests. In their playoff series, Carolina took four out of five games from New Jersey.
