New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes Game 5 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Thursday’s New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 5 odds and lines, with expert NHL picks, predictions and best bets.

The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes continue their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinals series Thursday with Game 5. Carolina leads 3-1. Puck drop from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Hurricanes posted an impressive 6-1 road win against the Devils in Game 4 on Tuesday, pushing New Jersey to the brink of elimination.

Carolina faced a similar situation in Game 5 against the New York Islanders and lost a series-clinching game on home ice. It hopes to avoid another trip to Newark and will work hard to force the Devils to the handshake line while resting up to await the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers series.

The teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes in Game 4, but the Hurricanes posted 5 goals in the 2nd period to run away with the road game. All 6 goals for the Canes were even-strength markers, too, and it was enough to chase starting goaltender Vitek Vanecek. Carolina outshot New Jersey by a 29-to-22 margin.

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Devils at Hurricanes odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:48 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Devils +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Hurricanes -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-250) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+200)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)

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Devils at Hurricanes projected goalies

Vitek Vanecek (33-11-4, 2.45 GAA, .911 SV%, 3 SO – regular season) vs. Frederik Andersen (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)

Vanecek was yanked in Game 4, but it’s believed coach Lindy Ruff will stick with the starter over rookie G Akira Schmid, who has been underwhelming in this series. While Vanecek has allowed 9 goals in the past 2 games, stopping just 38 of the 47 shots he has faced, Schmid allowed 7 goals on 36 shots in the 2 games in Carolina to start the series.

Andersen was pulled in Game 3 after the Devils besieged him, but coach Rod Brind’Amour went right back to him in Game 4. “The Great Dane” allowed just a single goal on 22 shots, and he has yielded just 1 goal in 4 of his 5 playoff starts to date.

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Devils at Hurricanes picks and predictions

Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Devils 2

Moneyline

The HURRICANES (-125) missed the chance to send the Islanders to the handshake line in front of their home fans, but Carolina won’t lose on home ice in another elimination game. This team is playing better than anyone right now, and appears to be on the verge of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

Puck line/Against the spread

The Devils +1.5 (-250) are very expensive at this price, costing you 2 1/2 times your potential return. You can’t risk that much on a team that has been blasted by 4 or more goals in each of their 3 losses in this series.

While I think this game will be close it’s best to just play the moneyline as we’ve seen close games to start followed by an avalanche of goals against one side in this series.

PASS.

Over/Under

The UNDER 6 (-120) is the lean in Game 5, although there is a risk since we’ve seen the Over cash in each of the first 4 games in this series.

Still, this is the first elimination game of the series, and defense and hitting tend to pick up as a series goes later, and the scoring tends to go down.

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New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 odds and lines, with expert NHL picks, predictions and best bets.

The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes continue their best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday in Game 2. Puck drop from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Hurricanes started Game 1 fast, and finished “Fast”, too, posting a 5-1 victory on home ice in the series opener.

Brett Pesce scored his 1st postseason goal midway through the 1st period, and Seth Jarvis notched an unassisted goal at 14:43, as Carolina took a 2-0 lead to the room.

In the 2nd period, Jesperi Kotkaniemi notched his 1st goal of the playoffs to make it 3-0 at just 1:55. Nathan Bastian gave the Devils hope with his 1st of the postseason, but that’s all New Jersey could muster. Brady Skjei had his 1st of the playoffs, and Jesper Fast scored into the empty net to put a bow on the scoring, much to the dismay of Under (5.5) bettors.

The Devils are used to this spot, as the New York Rangers dropped them 5-1 in Game 1 in Newark in the conference quarterfinals. After falling into an 0-2 hole, the Devils rallied, so expect New Jersey not to be terribly fazed despite the uneven result.

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Devils at Hurricanes odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:38 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Devils -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Hurricanes -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-275) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+220)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +110 | U: -135)

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Devils at Hurricanes projected goalies

Akira Schmid (9-5-2, 2.13 GAA, .922 SV%, 1 SO – regular season) vs. Frederik Andersen (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)

Devils coach Lindy Ruff has a big decision ahead of Game 2. He replaced Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 against the Rangers with Schmid, and the rookie saved his bacon in the 1st round.

However, Schmid coughed up 3 goals on 11 shots in Game 1, and he was yanked early in the 2nd period in favor of Vanecek. The latter allowed a single goal on 11 shots the rest of the way. Vanecek went 33-11-4 with a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV% with 3 SO in the regular season, and he could potentially be called upon in Game 2, or might get the call off the bench if Schmid struggles again.

Andersen had no such struggles in just his 2nd start of the postseason. “The Great Dane” kicked aside 17 of the 18 shots he faced, and he barely broke a sweat, while receiving plenty of offensive support. In 2 postseason starts, Andersen is 2-0 with a 0.91 GAA and .962 SV%.

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Devils at Hurricanes picks and predictions

Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Devils 2

Moneyline

The HURRICANES (-115) were well rested after polishing off the New York Islanders last Friday, getting 4 full days off to get well. It showed, as Carolina had plenty of speed, rolling to a wire-to-wire victory.

The Devils (-105) should be much better, and New Jersey showed some signs of life in a much better 2nd period. But it needs 60 full minutes to level this series, and Carolina is awfully tough at home.

Puck line/Against the spread

The Devils +1.5 (-275) will cost more than 2 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s just not a recommended betting strategy. It didn’t come close to covering the puck line in Game 1, but it is 3-2 in 5 games as an underdog in the postseason. Still, it’s too expensive for not enough value.

PASS.

Over/Under

The UNDER 5.5 (-135) is worth a look, although it’s a good idea to go lightly, with a half-unit at best.

We should have seen the Under cash in Game 1, but a late empty-net goal by Fast flipped the total to an Over.

The Under is 4-2 in the last 6 games overall for the Devils, while cashing in 2 of the last 3 outings for the Hurricanes despite the Game 1 near-miss.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes Game 1 odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Wednesday’s New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 1 odds and lines, with expert NHL picks, predictions and best bets.

The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 1 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference semifinals series Wednesday. Puck drop from PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.

The Devils outlasted the New York Rangers in 7 games, including a pair of 4-0 victories in Games 5 and 7 on home ice. New Jersey lost its most recent road game, falling 5-2 in Game 6.

Journeyman LW Erik Haula led the Devils with 4 goals and 6 points in the Rangers series, including a pair of power-play goals and a shorthanded assist. Captain C Nico Hischier led the team with 5 assists and a plus-1 rating. However, big-time trade deadline acquisition RW Timo Meier failed to record a point in the Conference Quarterfinals.

The Hurricanes polished off New York Islanders in 6 games, winning 2-1 in overtime on Friday as the Under cashed in the series clincher. Carolina is averaging just 2.7 goals per game (GPG) in the series, although it allowed just 2.5 GPG.

Canes C Sebastian Aho led the way with 4 goals and 7 points in the opening round, while RW Stefan Noesen netted 2 power-play goals and had 4 points on the man advantage. D Brent Burns led the team with 5 helpers in the opening round.

These Metropolitan Division rivals met 4 times in the regular season, with Carolina winning the first 2 meetings, and the Devils winning the most recent 2 in the series. Each team won at least once in the other team’s arena, too.

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Devils at Hurricanes odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:07 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Devils +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Hurricanes -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
  • Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-275) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+220)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +115 | U: -140)

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Devils at Hurricanes projected goalies

Akira Schmid (9-5-2, 2.13 GAA, .922 SV%, 1 SO – regular season) vs. Frederik Andersen (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff inserted the rookie Schmid into the starting lineup in Game 3, as the primary regular-season starter Vitek Vanecek lost back-to-back games 5-1 to open the series. It was a genius move, as Schmid went 4-1-0 with a 1.38 GAA and .951 SV% with 2 SO in his 5 playoff starts.

Andersen went 2-2-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .909 SV% in the final 4 regular-season games, but head coach Rod Brind’Amour elected to go with Antti Raanta for the first 5 games of the series against the Islanders. In Game 6, Rod the Bod tabbed Andersen, after a bad loss on home ice in Game 5 by Raanta.

Andersen stopped 33 of the 34 shots he faced in the 2-1 OT win in Game 6, his first postseason start with the organization.

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Devils at Hurricanes picks and predictions

Prediction

Hurricanes 3, Devils 2

Moneyline

The HURRICANES (-120) are slight favorites at home, and they’re a great play in Game 1.

The Devils showed off tremendous defense and goaltending against the Rangers, but they’ll be facing a team that also had tremendous defense and timely goaltending and is in front of a raucous crowd. This series is going to be a low-scoring affair with tight games all around.

The Devils have won just 2 of the past 7 meetings with the Hurricanes while going 1-4 in the past 5 meetings in Raleigh. The home team is 12-4 in the past 16 meetings, while the favorite has cashed in 6 of the past 7 in the series.

Puck line/Against the spread

The Devils +1.5 (-275) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return if you want some insurance, and just cannot fathom playing New Jersey straight up. That’s way too expensive, however.

I think the Devils keep it close, even with a rookie goaltender still being a bit of an unknown heading into the second round. But this is just too high of a price.

PASS.

Over/Under

The UNDER 5.5 (-140) is the lean, although the cost is quite pricey.

The Under cashed in 4 of the final 5 games for the Devils in the opening round, and the Under is 11-5-2 in the past 18 trips to Carolina, while going 19-9-4 in the past 32 meetings overall. The Under is 5-1-1 in the past 7 games for the Hurricanes at PNC Arena, too.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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