New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes 5/3/23 – Game 1 of the Second Round will pit the New Jersey Devils against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils defeated their New York Rangers rivals in seven games to move forward to the Second Round for the first time since 2011. The Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders in six games and hope to reach the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2019. Both teams look forward to starting this series off right; however, the NHL betting tips by the experts expect the Hurricanes to come out on top of this match.
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Location: PNC Arena Raleigh, NC
TV: ESPN
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes 5/3/23 Betting Odds
Devils
Moneyline: +107
Puckline: +1.5 (-265)
Total: 5.5 over (+119)
Hurricanes
Moneyline: -118
Puckline: -1.5 (+225)
Total: 5.5 under (-131)
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes Analysis
The NJ Devils won four of five games to take control of the First Round series and win it convincingly, but hope their offense can gain steam for future rounds after only scoring 17 goals during that run. Jack Hughes, Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat are leading their top two lines with nine goals and seven assists combined – but the rest of the offense has faltered considerably. Dougie Hamilton must step up at point and continue his impressive 22 goals and 52 assists season, yet only scored once and had two assists during the First Round. The offense struggled but their defense carried them, only allowing 17 goals total. Seven of those goals came over their final five games – with Game 7 ending without scoring at all. Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Seigenthaler have led the top pairing, while John Marino, Ryan Graves, and Damon Severson have contributed tremendously as players who create turnovers while also limiting shots on goal. Additionally, goaltender Akira Schmid was outstanding in the First Round with a remarkable 0.951 save percentage and 1.38 GAA on 142 shots while saving an incredible 6.2 goals above average.
The Carolina Hurricanes prevailed in their First Round series despite an ineffective offense that only scored 16 goals over six games. Sebastian Aho, Stefan Noesen and Seth Jarvis led their respective top lines with eight goals and seven assists while other parts of the offense struggled to produce any results. Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi will have to step up as they are pivotal figures for the forward unit but only managed one goal and three assists during the First Round. The offense faltered but their defense held firm, only allowing 15 goals over all and six in their final three games. Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin have led the top pairing, while Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei and Shayne Gostisbehere have provided crucial depth by creating turnovers in both neutral zone and defensive zone play and blocking shooting lanes. Frederik Andersen stood tall in Game6 to close out the series with 33 saves on 34 attempts and looks to carry this momentum into the Second Round.
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes Against the Spread
Devils are 4-0 in their last 4 Conference Semifinals games. Under is 5-1 in Devils last 6 Wednesday games. Under is 4-1 in Devils last 5 overall. Under is 4-1 in Devils last 5 vs. Eastern Conference. Under is 4-1 in Devils last 5 vs. Metropolitan.
Hurricanes are 4-0 in their last 4 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. Under is 7-1 in Hurricanes last 8 Wednesday games. Under is 5-1-1 in Hurricanes last 7 home games. Hurricanes are 1-4 in their last 5 Conference Semifinals games. Hurricanes are 20-6 in their last 26 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes Free Pick
The Devils are fresh off an impressive Game 7 victory and look to deliver another surprise upset in the opening matchup of Round 2. However, the Hurricanes, who will have had extra rest ahead of this matchup are hoping to step up on home ice and control this contest. NHL betting experts predict the Hurricanes will win with an outstanding performance to cover the puck line and secure victory.
Free Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -118
