The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils continue their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals series in Game 4 Tuesday night.
The Devils needed a victory in Game 3 on home ice after falling into an 0-2 hole in Raleigh, and New Jersey was able to erupt for an 8-4 victory to slice the series lead in half.
The Hurricanes played a terrible game, and were uncharacteristically undisciplined in the process.
Can the Devils square things at 2-2 before the series shifts back to Raleigh, or will the Hurricanes reorganize and recover from the sound beating? We’ll discuss in our NHL betting picks for Hurricanes vs. Devils on Tuesday, May 9.
Hurricanes vs Devils Game 4 odds
Stars vs Kraken series odds
| Team | To win | Win in 5 | Win in 6 | Win in 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricanes | -185 | +320 | +330 | +350 |
| Devils | +155 | N/A | +450 | +360 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of May 9.
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Hurricanes vs Devils Game 4 predictions
The Hurricanes were cruising along in this series, winning the first two games in North Carolina by a combined 11-2 score. However, the Devils showed a lot of heart in Game 3, doubling up the Canes 8-4.
It wasn’t all awful for Carolina, as it became the first team to score three shorthanded goals in an NHL game since 1983, with one of the goals coming on a Jordan Martinook penalty shot in the second period.
The Devils were just 1-for-4 on the power play, while allowing the three shorties, something they’ll certainly need to rectify in Game 4 and beyond.
Carolina was the more physical team in Game 3, too, posting 46 hits to just 33 for the Devils. However, the Canes also took six penalties —unusual for a Rod Brind’Amour-coached team — totaling 15 PIM.
Head coach Lindy Ruff went back to Vitek Vanecek — the goalie who won 33 games in the regular season — and it was a decent move. Rookie Akira Schmid was inserted into the lineup in Game 3 against the Rangers, but he was routed in the first two games in Carolina.
Vanecek stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced, including the three shorties. Meanwhile, Frederik Andersen allowed four goals on just 12 shots before getting an early shower in the second period. Rookie Pyotr Kochetkov yielded four goals on 22 shots in his first playoff action.
Ruff will continue to roll with Vanecek, and it’s doubtful Rod the Bod makes a move to anyone other than The Great Dane in Game 4. Andersen had allowed just three goals in his previous three postseason starts.
As mentioned, we had 12 total goals in Game 3, and a total of 13 goals in the two games in Carolina. The Over is a perfect 3-for-3 in this series, and there’s no reason to get away from it now, especially if the books continue to offer it at 5.5.
My best bet: Over 5.5 (-103 at BetRivers)
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Hurricanes vs Devils Game 4 moneyline analysis
The Hurricanes have managed a 4-0 record in the past four games after yielding five or more goals in their previous outing. In other words, Brind’Amour whips them into shape after a rout.
Carolina is also 20-9 in the past 29 games in the Conference Semifinals round, while cashing in 27 of the past 40 games when working on a day of rest. After a day of reflection, look for the Hurricanes to bounce back rather nicely.
The Devils have cashed in eight of the past 10 games at home, which is nice, but they’re just 2-7 in the past nine outings after scoring five or more goals in the previous contest.
The Devils are also just 3-7 in the past 10 tries against the Hurricanes. Vanecek was better in Game 3, but he wasn’t great. The Carolina offense has been humming, totaling 15 goals in the past three games, and there’s no reason it won’t continue to roll. Back the Canes on the road for a nice value.
Hurricanes vs Devils Game 4 Over/Under analysis
The Hurricanes play a tremendous brand of defense normally, and the penalty kill ranked No. 2 during the regular season at 84.4%, allowing a league-low 26.0 shots on goal. While that’s all well and good, Carolina was belted in Game 3.
What’s even stranger is that the Over is 6-1-1 in the past eight playoff games for the Hurricanes, and the offense has been a huge reason for the total going high. The Canes had allowed just eight goals in the past five games, but the offense has lit the lamp 29 times in the past eight games, or an average of 3.6 goals per outing.
The Devils have hit the Over in four of the past five games, and the total has gone high in three of five playoff games at Prudential Center. It’s been feast or famine for the Devs, going for four or more goals in three of the past six games, and two or fewer goals in the other three outings.
Since Carolina has been cooking on offense, and New Jersey is coming off an 8-goal performance, the lean is to the Over.
Hurricanes vs Devils betting trend to know
The Hurricanes have won seven of the previous 10 meetings in this series, and Carolina is 4-0 in the past four games after allowing five or more goals in the previous outing. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Devils.
Hurricanes vs Devils Game 4 game info
| Location: | Prudential Center, Newark, NJ |
| Date: | Tuesday, May 9, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
