Devils Vs Hurricanes: Projected Lineups and a Season on the Line at Lenovo Center
The matchup labeled devils vs hurricanes unfolds at the Lenovo Center with roster cards and last-minute health checks deciding more than ice time — they may shape the closing stretch for both clubs. The Devils arrive following a midweek win and a practice that preserved the same forward groups; the Hurricanes return home after a long road spell and a recent loss that snapped a short streak.
Devils Vs Hurricanes: What are the projected lineups?
Projecting the on-ice groups is straightforward from the sheets made available for the game. New Jersey listed its forward combinations as:
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt — Jack Hughes — Connor Brown
Evgenii Dadonov — Cody Glass — Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter — Nick Bjugstad — Maxim Tsyplakov
Injured for New Jersey: Stefan Noesen (knee), Zack MacEwen (ACL), Brett Pesce (lower body), Arseny Gritsyuk (undisclosed). The Devils practiced Friday with the same lineup from their 4-2 win against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Carolina’s projected forward lines were listed as:
Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall — Logan Stankoven — Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers — Jordan Staal — Jordan Martinook
William Carrier — Mark Jankowski — Eric Robinson
Defensive and goaltending pairings were also laid out for both teams in the available materials, with Shayne Gostisbehere — who missed the past nine games because of a lower-body injury — practicing Friday and expected to play for Carolina.
Who should viewers watch and what’s at stake?
This meeting carries season context for each roster. New Jersey comes into the game on the final match of a five-game road trip and riding a two-game winning streak. Their season outlook was characterized in available coverage as a late-stage scramble: the Devils have just 11 games left and were noted as sitting 7th in their division with 76 points. One milestone to watch is Dawson Mercer, who will play his 400th NHL game.
Carolina returned home after a stretch of road dates and a 5-2 loss that ended a three-game winning streak. The Hurricanes were expected to shuffle their defensive availability with Gostisbehere returning to action after missing multiple games.
How are injuries and goaltending shaping the matchup?
Injuries and recent form shape the angles here. New Jersey’s inactive list included knee, ACL and lower-body items that keep the club managing depth. Carolina’s list included scratches and a separate lower-body concern, but the notable development was Gostisbehere practicing and being expected to play.
Goaltending notes were explicit in the available preview. For Carolina, rookie netminder Brandon Bussi was expected to start; his form since the Olympic break was presented as a concern, with a save percentage of 0. 844 and a goals-against average of 3. 8 in that span, making this an important outing for his confidence. Carolina also had a veteran option listed as a backup.
New Jersey’s recent practice choice — to keep the same lineup that won against Nashville — signals trust in the current forward deployment while the team navigates the closing schedule of the regular season.
The game timing and location were set: Game 72 at 5 p. m. ET at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC. That simple calendar placement frames a compact story: a home team seeking stability after a loss, and a road team trying to sustain late momentum as the calendar tightens.
As the evening settles on the arena, the devils vs hurricanes matchup promises a mix of milestones, roster reintroduction and goaltending pressure — and the final sequence of this night will ripple into each club’s closing narrative for the season.
