Head-to-Head: Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils
| Carolina Hurricanes | Head-to-Head | New Jersey Devils |
| Rod Brind’Amour | Head Coach | Lindy Ruff |
| 52-21-9 (1st in Metropolitan Division) | Standing | 52-22-8 (2nd in Metropolitan Division) |
| Leaders (Playoffs) |
|
| Sebastian Aho (10) | Points | Jack Hughes (9) |
| Sebastian Aho (5) | Goals | Jack Hughes (5) |
| Sebastian Aho (5) | Assists | Nico Hischier (6) |
| Jaccob Slavin (10) | +/- | Brendan Smith, Michael McLeod (3) |
| Brent Burns (3.78) | Shots (Per Game) | Jack Hughes (4.2) |
Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils Predictions and Picks
The Carolina Hurricanes will stay in New Jersey to face the Devils for Game Four of this Second Round series. The Hurricanes played Games One and Two at home and dominated the Devils. They outscored New Jersey 11-2 in those games and looked like they were on their way to an easy Second Round victory. However, the Devils turned the tables in Game Three and beat the Hurricanes 8-4. Jack Hughes scored twice, and six other Devils had one goal each. Carolina still has the edge in this series, but the Devils made it much more interesting with their Game Three victory.
The Hurricanes are the better team on paper and have a more experienced roster. No Carolina player has stood out too much in the Playoffs, but they have a balanced scoring attack. The Hurricanes are averaging less than 3.5 goals per game in the Playoffs, but nine players have two goals or more. Defensively, the Hurricanes have been even better. Other than the last game, they have held their opponents to three goals or less all but one time. With that being said, their goaltending situation is up in the air at the moment, but I will talk more about this later. Overall, the Hurricanes are my pick to win this series.
The Hurricanes have been led by Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Brent Burns in the Playoffs. Aho leads the team with ten points, Jarvis had four goals and four assists, and Burns has played some critical minutes on the defensive end and has five assists.
The Hurricanes have a difficult goaltending situation. Antti Raanta missed the last two games with an illness but practiced with the team on Monday. Frederik Anderson could get the start, but he gave up four goals in a little over one period in Game Four. Carolina also has Pyotr Kochetkov on their roster. He came in relief of Andersen in Game Four but did not impress. The Hurricanes have yet to announce who will be getting the start, but it is safe to say that it could be a better situation.
The Devils have had a tougher time in the Playoffs than the Hurricanes. They beat the Rangers in the First Round, but the series was back-and-forth and pushed to seven games. Their Game One and Two losses in this series were also very telling. They can win this round, but they will have to get creative. New Jersey is simply outmatched. While they have plenty of scoring options and have shown strong defense at points, they are less put together and a younger team. This series will go to six or seven games, but the Devils will need to run a stronger operation to win it and move on to the next round. They are well-equipped to win today but will need to reassess tomorrow.
The Devils are led by Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, and Jesper Bratt. Hughes leads this group with nine points, but the other three have at least six points.
Vitek Vanecek got the start in the net in Game Three, but Akira Schmid started Games One and Two. They are both performing at about the same level, so it is unclear who will be starting Game Five.
The Devils have momentum and are playing at home, so they will win this game. Bet on the over.
Why Might the Carolina Hurricanes Win?
The Hurricanes are the underdogs but will win if they score first and score a power play goal.
The Hurricanes scored first in the first two games, but the Devils scored first in Game Three. Carolina must gain some early momentum and can do so by scoring first.
The Hurricanes have only scored one power-play goal in this series. They did not have a great power-play unit during the season but must score a goal this game.
Why Might the New Jersey Devils Win?
The Devils are the favorites but will only win with strong goaltending and defense.
The Devils gave up 11 goals in the first two games of this series. One of those goals was an empty netter, but the other ten were not. New Jersey cannot allow Carolina to score so much in this game and can limit their scoring with strong goaltending.
The Devils also have to limit the Hurricanes’ shooting. The best way to do that would be by playing strong and aggressive defense.
Hurricanes Key Players: (C) Sebastian Aho
Sebastian Aho has had at least one point in all but one of the Hurricanes’ Playoff games. His strong play will be necessary for the Hurricanes to win this game.
Devils Key Player: (C) Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes scored two goals in Game Three and also had two assists. He has been the Devils’ best player in the Playoffs and must continue to play like it in this game.
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