Two of the top three teams in the league square off in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The “Canes are -118 favorites with the Devils at +118 on the moneyline. The puckline prices show Carolina -1.5/+225 and New Jersey +1.5/-265. The total is 6.5.
Matchup features two of the top teams
Carolina and New Jersey finished with the second and third best records in the NHL this season behind the Boston Bruins. The Hurricanes earned 113 points while the Devils finished with 112.
With Boston out after their first-round upset loss to the Florida Panthers, the winner of the Devils-Hurricanes series will have home-ice advantage for the remainder of the playoffs. Carolina edged New Jersey by one point for first in the Metropolitan Division during the regular season.
Carolina and New Jersey are meeting in the postseason for the first time since the 2009 playoffs. The Hurricanes are 3-1 in four previous playoff series against the Devils.
New Jersey Devils (56-25-4-4, 4-3)
Just making the playoffs was a big deal for New Jersey, which is back in postseason for just the second time in the last 11 years. The Devils advanced by beating the New York Rangers in a grueling seven-game first-round series.
It didn’t look promising for the Jersey skaters after a pair of 5-1 losses to begin the series. However, after replacing Vitek Vanecek in net with 22-year old rookie Akira Schmid, things changed dramatically. Schmid posted a 4-1 record with two shutouts, a 1.39 GAA, and a .951 SV%.
Another big save by Akira Schmid, this time on Trocheck#NJDevils | #NYR pic.twitter.com/dF0JIUU38V
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) May 2, 2023
The icing on the cake for Schmid was his Game 7 shutout, becoming only the fifth rookie in NHL history to accomplish the feat.
Carolina Hurricanes (56-23-6-3, 4-2)
The Hurricanes might also commit to a goaltending change. Antti Raanta started the first five games against the Islanders, but Frederik Andersen made his series debut in Game 6 and stopped 33 of 34 shots.
Frederik Andersen turns the puck over to Cal Clutterbuck but makes up for it with a big stop#LetsGoCanes | #Isles pic.twitter.com/UlpEhuZbRc
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 29, 2023
After beating the Islanders in the first round, Carolina became the only NHL team to win a series in each of the last five postseasons.
Injury News
The Devils’ Timo Meier is questionable for Wednesday after he left after taking a big shoulder to head hit during the third period of Game 7. Meier later returned to the Devils’ bench but didn’t return to the ice.
Hurricanes forward Jack Drury who has been dealing with an upper body injury is expected to play. He missed the last two games of the Isles series. Carolina’s still without three of their top forwards: Max Pacioretty (torn Achilles tendon), Andrei Svechnikov (torn ACL) and Teuvo Teravainen (broken handd). Defensemen Brady Skjei and Jalen Chatfield are dealing with minor injuries, but both should be ready for Game 1.
Betting Update
New Jersey is a slight series favorite at -125 while Carolina is +105. The Devils at +275 are the second pick to win the Eastern Conference (Toronto is tops at +160. The Hurricanes are the third choice at +325. All odds from BetOnline.
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