Hurricanes hopeful Ehlers, Nikishin will be ready for Round 2

The Carolina Hurricanes showed some optimism on the status of two key injured players as they wait to find out who their opponent will be in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As the team hit the ice for practice for the first time since completing a first-round sweep of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, head coach Rod Brind’Amour shared positive updates on the status of winger Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Alexander Nikishin.

Brind’Amour told the media, including team reporter Walt Ruff, that he is “hopeful” that both players will be ready for the second round.

Ehlers, the crown jewel of Carolina’s 2025 off-season, missed Game 4 due to a lower-body injury, while Nikishin suffered a concussion on a hit from Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven.

“With the concussion thing, everything’s trending in the right direction,” Brind’Amour told Ruff on Nikishin. “I guess it kind of depends on how long we’re [waiting for Round 2] for, so that could work in our favor if it is a little longer.”

Ehlers, in his first season with the Hurricanes, was the only player on the team to appear in all 82 games, setting career-highs in both assists and points on his way to a 71-point campaign with 26 goals and 45 assists.

Nikishin completed his rookie season with Carolina this year, racking up 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points while skating alongside Shayne Gostisbehere on the bottom pairing and playing on the second power play unit.

The Hurricanes, in the midst of their eighth consecutive postseason run, swept Ottawa and await the winner of the other Metropolitan Division series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, but the Penguins have answered back with two straight wins to force a sixth game.