New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 Prediction, Odds
The ‘Canes dominated Game 1 on Saturday afternoon, winning 4-1 and outshooting the Devils 45-24. The expected home ice advantage was in full force, as Carolina even broke a playoff franchise record with a +25 shot advantage after the first two periods of Game 1. Ten of Carolina’s 12 forwards finished with multiple shots in the win; if not for Jacob Markstrom’s stellar play in net the final score would’ve got real ugly.
New Jersey left Game 1 with several injuries too as defenceman Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes as well as forward Cody Glass all exited with injuries. Hughes returned later in the game, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be ready for Game 2 but head coach Sheldon Keefe did not have any updates on his other two Devils players other than Dillon was held back by doctors.
Puck drop for Game 2 at Lenovo Center gets started at 6 p.m. EDT with the Hurricanes -250 on the moneyline and the total at 5.5 on the NHL odds.
Devils vs. Hurricanes NHL Playoff Betting Odds
Carolina has moved to -1000 to win this series, and New Jersey at +625 odds. A Hurricanes sweep is now +240, and based off Game 1 it could be worth taking a look at. Carolina has eight straight home wins over the Devils are the ‘Canes are 32-9-1 on home ice this season. It’s going to be tough for New Jersey to even steal a road game in this series, so ultimately this will come down to how the Devils play on home ice later this week.
All five Devils–Hurricanes contests this season have featured a maximum of seven goals. The winning team finished with exactly four goals in four of these five meetings, and the home team is now 5-0.
Carolina is currently +600 to win the Stanley Cup, the second-best odds on the board.
New Jersey Devils
A better start, more offensive zone time, more shoots, a finishing touch — you name it and the Devils need to work on it ahead of Game 2. New Jersey looked like a true underdog, a team way over their head to open this series. The absence of star forward Jack Hughes was apparent too as no New Jersey skater made a noticeable offensive difference. Nico Hischier scored the Devils lone goal in Game 1 and finished with a team-high three shots. The lone positive takeaway was goalie Jacob Markstrom, who turned away 41 of 44 shots in his Devils playoff debut.
Assuming defenceman Luke Hughes is healthy for Game 2, the Devils may have to find only two replacements for the injured Brenden Dillon and Cody Glass. Defencemen Simon Nemec or Kurtis MacDermid would be the most likely next guys in, with the latter the easiest solution to account for Dillon’s size and defensive play. Expect either or both of veteran forwards Curtis Lazar and Tomas Tatar to draw into the lineup for Game 2, as New Jersey looks for a change.
Carolina Hurricanes
Mid-season trade acquisition Logan Stankoven scored twice in Game 1, making the whole Mikko Rantanen (who Carolina sent back for Stankoven) situation sit a little easier in Carolina. With two assists in Game 1, Taylor Hall become the fifth player in franchise history with two assists in his first playoff game with the club. So for now, general manager Eric Tulsky is pushing the right buttons.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour pushed a right button too by electing to go with Frederik Andersen in net for Game 1. Andersen made 23 saves in the 4-1 win, his 73rd playoff start and 39th win. Andersen has a career .915 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Defenceman Jalen Chatfield opened the scoring in Game 1 while Andrei Svechnikov finished it via an empty-netter. Svechnikov’s five shots led all skaters in Game 1.
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