Seth Jarvis broke a late tie and added an empty-net goal as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Thursday night to open the 2025–26 NHL season.
With the score knotted at 3-3, Jarvis positioned himself in front of the net and redirected a Sebastian Aho feed past goaltender Jacob Markstrom with just 2:43 remaining. The goal gave Carolina its first lead since early in the game and shifted momentum firmly in the Hurricanes’ favor.
Jarvis later sealed the victory with a long-range empty-net shot in the final minute, before Eric Robinson tacked on another goal with 12.6 seconds left after Markstrom returned to the crease.
Newly acquired defenseman K’Andre Miller made an immediate impact in his Hurricanes debut, scoring twice after joining the team in an offseason trade from the New York Rangers. Taylor Hall also found the back of the net for Carolina.
Dougie Hamilton, Cody Glass, and Jesper Bratt tallied goals for New Jersey, keeping the Devils even with Carolina until Jarvis’ late heroics.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 19 shots for the Hurricanes, while Markstrom finished with 27 saves for the Devils.
Carolina begins the season with lofty expectations after advancing to at least the second round in seven straight postseasons and reaching the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three years—each time falling to eventual champion Florida.
The Devils, meanwhile, are aiming for their third playoff berth in four seasons, though both of their recent postseason appearances ended in defeat by the Hurricanes.
New Jersey opens the campaign with three straight road games before hosting Florida in its home opener. Carolina will play one more at home before embarking on its annual October road trip, coinciding with the North Carolina State Fair occupying the nearby fairgrounds.
Up Next:
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Devils: at Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
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Hurricanes: host Philadelphia on Saturday night.
