Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils Series Betting Preview & Picks

The Carolina Hurricanes are the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference, giving them home-ice advantage over the New Jersey Devils in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina was pushed to the brink in the opening round against the New York Islanders, needing two overtime wins and a comeback in Game 6 to punch its ticket to the next round.

Likewise, the Devils went on an emotional rollercoaster against the New York Rangers, with each team capturing momentum at different points in the series. Alas, New Jersey prevailed, securing a 4-0 win at the Prudential Center in Game 7. 

These teams were neck-and-neck throughout the regular season. Surely, this Metropolitan Division matchup will equal that intensity with a berth in the Conference Finals on the line.

• Game 1: CAR vs. NJD – May 3 @ 7 pm ET
• Game 2: CAR vs. NJD – May 5 @ 8 pm ET
• Game 3: NJD vs. CAR – May 7 @ 3:30 pm ET
• Game 4: NJD vs. CAR – May 9 @ 7 pm ET
• *Game 5: CAR vs. NJD – May 11, TBD
• *Game 6: NJD vs. CAR – May 13, TBD
• *Game 7: CAR vs. NJD – May 15, TBD

The Canes were expected to easily dispatch the Islanders in the first round, but their path to victory wasn’t as unobstructed as anticipated. Carolina needed two overtime victories, ending the series with a +1 goal differential across the six outings. More concerningly, the Hurricanes were outscored at five-on-five by the lower-seeded Islanders. 

Carolina abandoned their typical defensive structure, giving up more chances in its wild card matchup. New York attempted ten or more high-danger opportunities in five of six games, averaging 11.3 per game. That’s well above the Hurricanes’ regular season average of 8.3, highlighting a glaring weakness in their ability to adapt in the postseason. Strangely, that’s been a phenomenon impacting the Canes over the past few seasons, with Carolina failing to make it out of the second round in three straight playoffs. Moreover, they’ll face a more sincere challenge from a much more potent Devils squad.

• Series Price: Hurricanes +100 | Devils -122
• Eastern Conference Odds: Hurricanes +240 | Devils +240
• Stanley Cup Odds: Hurricanes +550 | Devils +550

Offense was New Jersey’s MO throughout the season, a standard they maintained against the Rangers. The Devils attempted the most scoring and high-danger chances in the regular season, averaging 28.3 and 12.1 per game, respectively. Although scoring opportunities came down marginally in the first round, the Devils amplified their quality chances. The Metropolitan second-place finishers directed 13.3 high-danger chances per game against the Rangers, reserving their best efforts for the biggest stage. 

There’s a good chance the Devils maintain that production against the Canes. As noted, Carolina fell apart defensively against one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Now, they’re tasked with corraling a much more skilled Devils team firing on all cylinders. Those issues could be compounded by a Jersey team poised for a breakout performance as output catches up with production.

• Devils -122
• Game 1/Series Parlay – Devils/Devils +182

The Devils’ scoring has actually decreased despite the surge in production. Collectively, New Jersey scored on just 4.5% of its shots at five-on-five, the worst among all playoff teams. Still, they managed the most high-danger and second-most scoring opportunities, illustrating a disconnect between production and output.

Their regular season five-on-five shooting percentage was 8.7%, nearly double their current benchmark. Moreover, New Jersey’s overall playoff shooting percentage is almost two percent lower than its regular season tally, implying they are progression candidates against the Hurricanes. 

Carolina was ineffective at limiting the Islanders in Round 1. That’s even more troublesome against the Devils as they are primed for a surge in scoring. We’re betting New Jersey stakes itself to an early lead against their division rivals, capturing Game 1 at PNC Arena and hanging on for the series win.