Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils Game 3 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Carolina’s taken a 2-0 series lead after a pair of wins on home ice but New Jersey showed a lot more fight in Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat, especially being down defencemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon. The biggest difference from Game 1 to Game 2 was New Jersey being able to balance out the shots on goal. Carolina only outshot the Devils 28-26 in Game 2, compared to a 45-24 onslaught in Game 1.
The hope for New Jersey is that in the six Hurricanes–Devils this season, the home team is 6-0. There’s also the old playoff cliché that you’re not in trouble in a best-of-seven series until you lose at home. And the Hurricanes are coming into Game 3 with a 16-21-4 road record this year.
Puck drop for Game 3 at Prudential Center goes at 7 p.m. EDT, with the Hurricanes still a -165 favourite on the road and the over-under listed at five on the NHL odds.
Hurricanes vs. Devils NHL Betting Odds
An 0-2 hole in the series has put the Devils at +1200 odds to come back and win this series. A Hurricanes sweep is currently the most likely outcome listed at +110 odds. And for all those series futures bettors, Logan Stankoven is currently ahead of everyone else with two goals while Jordan Martinook is the unlikely leader in shots this series with eight.
The Hurricanes covered the -1.5 puckline in each of their home wins to start the series, with the under connecting in both games. In all six Hurricanes–Devils meeting this season, the home team has won by at least two goals.
Carolina currently is the Stanley Cup favourite at +500 on the NHL futures board.
Carolina Hurricanes
Goalies Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen had been alternating starts down the stretch for Carolina, and head coach Rod Brind’Amour elected to roll with the veteran Andersen to start the playoffs. The move has paid off as Andersen’s allowed a goal in each win to go with a .960 save percentage. Andersen played a huge role in the result of Game 2 especially, turning away several late New Jersey chances.
Veteran forward Jordan Martinook is also serving as a clutch member of this ‘Canes squad. Martinook ended up with the game-winner in Game 2, a shorthanded wrister that gave Carolina their first lead of the contest. Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere opened the scoring for the Hurricanes in Game 2, while Seth Jarvis finished it with an empty-netter. Through the series’ opening two games, all but four Hurricanes skaters have registered at least one point.
New Jersey Devils
If the Devils are to make anything of this series, they need some more production up front. Game 2 got off to a much better start as Jesper Bratt opened the game’s scoring but the lone tally on Tuesday matched the Devils’ goal-scoring in Game 1: a single goal. Not having Jack (and brother Luke) Hughes isn’t helping the Devils cause but this top-six is still underperforming so far. Jack Hughes was one of five 20-goal-scorers for the Devils this season and while both of New Jersey’s goals this series have come from that group, the big guns still need to pick it up.
Timo Meier had 26 goals this season but hasn’t found the back of the net on any of his seven shots through two games. Dawson Mercer, someone with 66 goals in the past three seasons with the Devils, is now centring the second line but only has three shots this series to show for. Meier and Mercer are among this New Jersey top-six that needs to start producing, quick.
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