Devils vs Hurricanes Game 2: NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction

Devils vs. Hurricanes Odds

The Carolina Hurricanes decisively took Game 1, but that's unlikely to shake the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey suffered a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in their first-round series opener, but still wound up advancing in seven games. This second-round series is far from over.

New Jersey Devils

It's way too early to dismiss the Devils, but they do have one major question mark — their goaltending. Akira Schmid was chased from Wednesday's contest after allowing three goals on 11 shots. He still has an amazing 1.84 GAA and a .935 save percentage in six playoff starts this year, but Schmid's relative lack of NHL experience makes it tempting to question him after every misstep.

Perhaps it's time to give Schmid the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did post a 2.13 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 18 regular-season outings, so while his sample size is small, it's still impressive. The 22-year-old also rebounded nicely once before in these playoffs. After surrendering five goals on 29 shots against New York in Game 6, he posted a 31-save shutout in Game 7. Clearly he hasn't buckled under the pressure.

If Schmid can similarly bounce back in Game 2, there's a good chance New Jersey's forwards can take things the rest of the way. The Hurricanes held New Jersey to a Nathan Bastian goal in the opener, but the Devils aren't short on offensive talent. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and offensive defenseman Dougie Hamilton each provided New Jersey with over 70 points during the regular season.

Hischier in particular is one to watch. He hasn't found the back of the net yet in the playoffs, despite providing 31 goals during the 2022-23 campaign. On the one hand, he does have five assists, but he's also fired 23 shots over eight playoff contests without anything to show for it, so he's due.

The Devils also might be without Timo Meier (undisclosed) for a second straight contest after he was injured in Game 7 of the first round. Missing out on him again would be a blow, but New Jersey isn't the only team dealing with a noteworthy injury.

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina will play Friday without Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Andrei Svechnikov (knee) and Teuvo Teravainen (hand). None of those three are expected to be available before the end of the series and Teravainen is the only one who might return at some point during these playoffs.

At least the Hurricanes still have Sebastian Aho, who has led the charge in the playoffs with four goals and eight points in seven appearances. He'll enter Friday's action on a four-game scoring streak that Carolina will likely need him to extend.

Seth Jarvis, Jesper Fast, Paul Stastny and Stefan Noesen have each chipped in and provided at least two goals during this postseason run. Offensive defenseman Brent Burns has contributed five assists through seven postseason games, and he might be close to breaking through in the goal column with his team-leading 29 shots.

Even still, Carolina will have a tough time winning this series without strong goaltending. Fortunately for the Hurricanes, they have two solid options in Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen. Look for Andersen to start Game 2 after stopping 50 of 52 shots over Carolina's past two contests.

Devils vs. Hurricanes Pick

New Jersey is seen as a mild underdog on the moneyline. That's unsurprising as the game will be in Carolina, but I think there's a good chance the Devils will battle back hard after a disappointing Game 1. I'm growing more optimistic about Schmid as the playoffs progress. The Devils were 28-9-4 on the road during the regular season and 2-1 in New York in the first round, so Carolina playing on home ice isn't necessarily a big advantage.

It's a somewhat risky play given how even these teams are, but the potential return for taking New Jersey on the moneyline is good enough to make it worthwhile in my mind.

Pick: Devils Moneyline | Play to -110

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