New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 Best Bets

The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are set to play Game 2 of their best-of-seven series from PNC Arena tonight.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Game 1 between the Devils and Hurricanes wasn’t close from the drop of the puck, which ultimately saw Carolina pick up a decisive 5-1 victory. The Hurricanes had some time to rest ahead of their series opener, while the Devils didn’t have much time off to prepare for Carolina after defeating the New York Rangers in Game 7 on Monday.

The oddsmakers expect this Game 2 to be much closer than Game 1, though, with Carolina listed as a slight -115 favorite on the moneyline, while the Devils are priced at -105. 

Not much at all separated these two teams in the standings during the regular season, but Carolina looked like the much better-coached team, and with the structure they play, New Jersey could be in trouble. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Devils are expected to continue riding Akira Schmid, while the Hurricanes should do the same with Frederik Andersen. The Devils’ rookie netminder has posted a 4-2 record, paired with a .935 save percentage, while Andersen is sitting at 2-0, with a .962 save percentage in these playoffs. Andersen should have the edge when you factor in his experience but don’t discount what Schmid has been able to accomplish. 

The Devils should show up for Game 2, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll come out on top on the road. There’s still a lot of work needed to solve the elite team game that the Hurricanes play, meaning it’s hard to back New Jersey on the road tonight. As a result, we’ll be very content expecting the Hurricanes to keep home-ice advantage in this Game 2. 

Best Bet: Hurricanes moneyline (-115)

The first game between these teams saw six total goals scored, while during the regular season, they met three times, and the number went over the total in two of those games. The total for tonight’s Game 2 is set at 5.5, with the over priced at +116, while the under is at -142. Understandably, the oddsmakers are trying to bait bettors into looking at the over, knowing very well that the Hurricanes would be content playing a 2-1 game on home ice. In saying that, we’ll be happy to take the bait here, factoring in what we saw during the regular season and Carolina’s offensive explosion in Game 1. 

Best Bet: Over 5.5 (+116) 

Sure, some star players on the Hurricanes are sidelined by injuries, but there’s still a lot of talent on this Carolina team that makes sense to target in Game 2. Sebastian Aho doesn’t get the credit he deserves as a major star in the NHL, but he will if Carolina continues to go on a long playoff run. The Finnish star has tallied eight points over seven playoff games to lead the club. Aho is an elite two-way center, and his presence will be highlighted in this series, specifically with the value he presents to score tonight at +155. 

Best Prop: Sebastian Aho to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+155)