The opening round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs features an intriguing series between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New Jersey Devils out in the Eastern Conference. While this is a clash between the second and third-place teams in the Metropolitan Division, there’s a chance that one of these squads could emerge as a dark-horse force throughout the remainder of the postseason… if they advance.
These teams square off for the second time in the last three postseasons, as well as the sixth time in NHL playoff history. To prepare for the series, DraftKings Network has you covered with a Hurricanes vs. Devils preview, as well as odds and a betting pick.
Hurricanes vs. Devils preview
Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes enter this series on the heels of a campaign in which they won 47 games and came up just short of the 100-point mark with 99 on the season. It was a bit of a strange year in Carolina thanks to the very brief and mostly disappointing Mikko Rantanen era — the team traded for the star in January but subsequently shipped him off to Dallas after just 13 games. They lost Martin Necas in that initial exchange, who was averaging better than a point per game before the trade and finished with 83 points in total.
What lesson did the team learn from the Rantanen saga and their regular-season sample? The power of friendship is their greatest asset. The Hurricanes lack a real superstar talent and roster only two players with 50 or more points to their name so far this year in Sebastian Aho (74) and Seth Jarvis (67). However, they’ve got three players in the 40-point range and another seven with point totals in the 30s. True team-centered hockey is the name of the game in Carolina and it’s tough to deny that the strategy is working.
The team ranks just inside the top-10 with 3.24 GF and 2.80 GA per contest, and they boast the NHL’s top penalty kill with an 83.6% mark. That strength while shorthanded will certainly come in handy during this playoff run, but they remain unable to figure out their power-play woes and rank 25th in power play percentage at a paltry 18.7%. The question now becomes whether the team will continue making good grades on this group project in a playoff atmosphere.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils’ third-place finish was a bit less impressive as the team logged 91 points and 42 total wins on the season. Their goal differential of 20 is unspectacular, though they battled some injury issues and the absence of Jack Hughes still stings after the star suffered a season-ending injury in early March. They’ve survived since then, but their 19 points since Hughes went down is the fifth-worst mark among all teams.
Still, the Devils are in the playoffs with an outside chance to make magic happen. They rank 26th in scoring without Hughes but mustered 2.93 goals per game over the full-season sample, however, their defense is a strength and ranks inside the top-five fewest goals allowed. Their special teams play is particularly spectacular, ranking third-best on the power play (28.2%) and second-best on the penalty kill (82.7%). Special teams may be the story of the series here.
As for their remaining star power, winger Jesper Bratt’s 88 points this season is a team-high and his passing truly stands out with an impressive 67 assists. The now-inactive Hughes ranks second with 70 points, followed by Nico Hischier with 69 and Timo Meieir with 53. The Devils play fast and get out on the break, so this should be a fun series if New Jersey can keep it competitive.
Keys to the Series
There’s three keys to watch for in this Hurricanes/Devils series. First and foremost, special teams play might end up as the difference-maker in determining who advances and who heads home. Both squads rank among the NHL’s elite on the penalty kill, but unlike the Devils, scoring on the power play is an issue for the Canes. The latter squad actually logged the third-most TOI on the power play over the course of the season but their 0.56 power play goals per game remain uninspiring, to say the least. Part of this problem may stem from the next key to the series below.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are full of star-studded lineups. The top contenders skate out game-breaking duos such as McDavid/Draisaitl, MacKinnon/Makar, Tkachuk/Barkov, and Kucherov/Hagel. Meanwhile, Carolina lacks a single de-facto superstar on their team, much less a pairing of them. They’ve got the talent to advance, and while they’ve got a much deeper lineup than the Devils, the Hurricanes don’t possess much more star power than their first-round opponent. If they do move on, this becomes an even more challenging conundrum.
Finally, there’s the goalie battle. The Canes’ goaltenders both have save percentages just a hair shy of the .900% mark as Pyotr Kochetkov’s sits at .898 while Frederik Andersen’s lies at .899. The playing field is level, though, as New Jersey’s Jakob Marstrom’s .900 mark isn’t any better. The same story as always rings true — if your goalie gets hot, you’ve got a shot.
Hurricanes vs. Devils odds, pick
As the odds currently stand on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Hurricanes’ -245 odds to win the series means they’re very firm favorites to advance onward in the playoff picture. Where the public’s betting trends are concerned, the latest splits show an extremely heavy lean towards a series victory for the Canes. Roughly 95% of the handle on DraftKings Sportsbook is on the team to win, as are 93% of total bets.
On the other hand, the Devils come in as +200 underdogs to win the series. The value is there, but very few bettors are taking advantage of the long odds as only 5% of the total cash and 7% of bets are on New Jersey to move on.
While the Devils have a better power play and might have just a smidge of an advantage with a more experienced presence in net, there’s a reason the Canes are favored to win the series. With a much deeper roster than their opponents, it’s easier to see Carolina grinding out a win if this series goes the distance — with New Jersey struggling ever since their star went down in March, though, it won’t. Canes in five, which offers great value at +350 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hurricanes vs. Devils Best Bet: Series Correct Score — CAR Hurricanes 4-1
