Stankoven scores twice to help Hurricanes beat Devils 4-1 to open 1st-round playoff series

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes just wanted to be healthy going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, even as it meant resting key players and stumbling down the stretch of the regular season.

The first payoff came Sunday.

Logan Stankoven scored two second-period goals in his first playoff game with Carolina as the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 to open their first-round series. Carolina led 3-0, more than doubled New Jersey's shot output and kept the pressure on in a strong start to the postseason.

“Obviously it was pretty clear that I think we were looking forward to this day for a bit now,” goaltender Frederik Andersen said.

Jalen Chatfield scored a first-period goal for the Hurricanes, who kept steady pressure on Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom. Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net clincher late in the third.

Carolina had lost seven of its last eight regular-season games since clinching its seventh straight playoff trip on April 3, several coming with stars and key contributors out of the lineup. In that sense, it had been a long wait to get here, back on home ice with a rowdy home crowd in playoff mode.

“There's always that worry that maybe you come out a little sluggish or whatever,” coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “But obviously that wasn't the case. And we were healthy, a healthy group. So it was a calculated risk maybe, but at least after Game 1, that was the right decision.”

Andersen finished with 23 saves for Carolina, including a key stop on Timo Meier near the crease midway through the third. The Hurricanes also turned away a Devils power play with about eight minutes left to stay in firm control.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey's only goal by taking Jesper Bratt’s cross-ice pass and blasting the puck past Andersen during a 4-on-4 chance in the second.

Carolina finished with a 45-24 shot advantage.

“They're not doing anything special,” Hischier said. "They play simple hockey, hard hockey, and we’ve just got to match that.”

Markstrom finished with 41 saves on what turned out to be a rough afternoon physically for the Devils, who had multiple players skating to the tunnel with injuries.

First defenseman Brenden Dillon went down in the second period after getting tangled with Carolina's William Carrier, then struggled to stay on his feet before being helped to the tunnel. Coach Sheldon Keefe said Dillon wanted to return but doctors held him out.

Later, the Devils lost two players on a single chaotic sequence in the third, which started with defenseman Luke Hughes laying in the net then doubled over in pain while reaching for his left shoulder. Almost immediately, Markstrom took a whack at Svechnikov near the top of the crease only to inadvertently hit center Cody Glass and knock him to the ice

While Hughes was able to return, Glass was assisted to the tunnel and Keefe had no update on Glass afterward.

Chatfield got the Hurricanes off to a quick start with a goal just 2:24 into the game. Then it was a big day for Stankoven, who was the primary return in a trade-deadline deal that allowed Carolina to pivot out of its big-swing January addition of scoring winger Mikko Rantanen.

Stankoven first zipped the puck past Markstrom off a feed from Jordan Martinook, who had forced Hischier into a turnover along the boards, at 6:37 of the second. He struck again on the power play, with Stankoven blasting a shot past Markstrom and off the inside of the left post for the 3-0 edge.

“I thought the second period, we were just overwhelmed,” Keefe said. “That was not good enough. The third period was good. The damage was done by then.”

Game 2 of the series is Tuesday.

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New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) gathers in the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) watches the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the third period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) and Taylor Hall (71) during the third period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

New Jersey Devils' Nico Hischier (13) battles for the puck with Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

New Jersey Devils' Stefan Noesen (11) watches the puck go wide off Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) with Dmitry Orlov (7) nearby during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) carries the puck to challenge New Jersey Devils' Brett Pesce (22) during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven, left hugs Logan Stankoven (22) following his goal with New Jersey Devils Jacob Markstrom (25) nearby during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

New Jersey Devils' Jesper Bratt (63) is checked into the board by Carolina Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield (5) during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) watches the shot of Carolina Hurricanes' William Carrier (28) bounce nearby during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) blocks a shot of the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) controls the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven (22) celebrates his goal against the New Jersey Devils during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven (22) left, celebrates his goal with Brent Burns (8) during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New Jersey Devils in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas said Sunday that the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory and resume the delivery of aid. Two Hamas officials told The Associated Press they expect the release in the next 48 hours.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed late Sunday in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a good will gesture toward Trump.

The announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes shortly before Trump visits the Middle East this week. It highlighted the willingness of Israel's closest ally to inject momentum into ceasefire talks for the 19-month war as desperation grows among hostages' families and Gaza's over 2 million people under the new Israeli blockade.

Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in New Jersey. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that ignited the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the U.S. informed it of Hamas’ intent to release Alexander “without compensation or conditions" and that the step is expected to lead to negotiations on a truce. Netanyahu’s government was angered by U.S. direct talks with Hamas earlier this year — which led to a Hamas offer to release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to a stalled ceasefire deal. Days later, however, Israel resumed the war.

Witkoff told the AP that Hamas' goal in releasing Alexander was to restart talks on a ceasefire, the release of additional hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza before Israel carries out a threatened total takeover of the territory.

Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group has been in contact with the U.S. administration over the past few days.

Al-Hayyah said in a statement Hamas is ready to “immediately start intensive negotiations” to reach a final deal for a long-term truce, which includes an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and hostages in Gaza and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats.

Indirect talks between Hamas and the U.S. began five days ago, an Egyptian official and a senior Hamas official told the AP, with both describing the release of Alexander as a gesture of goodwill.

The senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Alexander is expected to be released on Monday. Hamas was advised to “give a gift to President Trump and in return he will give back a better one,” the official said.

Another Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Alexander’s release is expected in the next 48 hours, adding that it requires Israel to pause fighting for a couple of hours.

The Egyptian official involved in ceasefire negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss talks, said Hamas received assurances from the Trump administration through Egyptian and Qatari mediators that Alexander’s release “will put all files on the negotiating table” including an end to the war.

Alexander’s parents did not immediately return requests for comment.

Trump and Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander, now 21, by name in the past few months. Witkoff was traveling to the region on Monday ahead of Alexander's expected release.

“Every time they say Edan’s name, it’s like they didn’t forget. They didn’t forget he’s American, and they’re working on it,” Edan’s mother, Yael Alexander, told The Associated Press earlier this year.

Hamas released a video of Alexander in November during the Thanksgiving weekend, his mother said. The video was difficult to watch as he cried and pleaded for help, but it was a relief to see the latest sign that he was alive, she said.

Fifty-nine hostages are still in Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The Hostages Families Forum, the grassroots forum representing most hostage families, said Alexander’s release “must mark the beginning of a comprehensive agreement” that will free everyone.

Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week in a regional tour.

Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday killed 15 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.

Two strikes hit tents in the southern city of Khan Younis, each killing two children and their parents, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Another seven people were killed in strikes elsewhere, including a man and his child in a Gaza City neighborhood, according to hospitals and Gaza's Health Ministry.

The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because the militants are embedded in densely populated areas.

Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for over 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel in March shattered the ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages.

Aid groups say the humanitarian crisis is worse than at any time in the war, with food running low.

The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90% of its population.

In a separate development, Israel said it retrieved the remains of a soldier killed in a 1982 battle in southern Lebanon after he had been classified as missing for more than four decades.

The Israeli military said Sgt. 1st Class Tzvi Feldman's remains were recovered from deep inside Syria, without providing further details.

Netanyahu visited Feldman’s surviving siblings and told them that the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad late last year led to an “opportunity” that allowed the military and the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, to gather additional intelligence and locate and retrieve the body, according to video released by his office.

Feldman went missing, along with five other Israeli soldiers, in a battle with Syrian forces in the Lebanese town of Sultan Yaaqoub.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

FILE - Varda Ben Baruch holds a picture of her grandson Edan Alexander, who is held hostage in Gaza, gathers with other families to call out on loudspeakers in hopes that their loved ones will hear them, near the Gaza border in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

Displaced Palestinians fill jerrycans with water from a pipe at a tent camp in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians collect water in jerrycans at a distribution point west of Gaza City, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians collect water in jerrycans at a distribution point west of Gaza City, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians carry the bodies of those who were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians carry the bodies of those who were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Mohannad Al-Agha, holds body of his niece Zeina Al- Agha, 2, killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, during her funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians mourn their relatives who were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)