NHL Best Bets: Devils vs. Hurricanes Game Picks

The top two teams in the Metropolitan division will collide tonight, with the New Jersey Devils visiting the Carolina Hurricanes.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

New Jersey Devils (+132) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-160) Total: 6 (O-110, U-110)

After a great first two months of the regular season, there hasn’t been much consistency with the Devils. The same can’t be said for the Hurricanes, who’ve been one of the NHL’s top teams, currently atop the division with 57 points. Entering this matchup, the Devils have a 4-5-1 record over their last ten, while the Hurricanes are 7-2-1 over that same stretch of games. 

The Devils and Hurricanes have met twice this year, seeing Carolina get the better of New Jersey in both matchups, winning 4-1 and 5-4. New Jersey still has solid underlying numbers, but the results haven’t been there, which could be them finding a mean after how good they looked early on. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup, the visiting Devils should continue riding Vitek Vanecek, while the Hurricanes should do the same with Pyotr Kochetkov. The Devils netminder has a 15-5-2 record with a .914 save percentage, while Kochetkov is sitting at 10-3-4 with a .919 save percentage. With these two goalies, it’s hard to say that one side has a decisive advantage over the other, so it’s somewhat of a wash.

Even though the Devils are likely better than their recent play suggests, it’s hard to fade Carolina during their current hot stretch, especially with their strong play in two previous victories over New Jersey. With that, there’s likely some value in targeting the Hurricanes on the moneyline at -160. 

Best Bet: Hurricanes moneyline (-160) 

The Devils and Hurricanes combined for five and nine goals through two matchups. Over New Jersey’s last five games, all five have seen six or more goals scored, while four of the previous five Hurricanes games have also seen that transpire. Both teams have strong defensive units and solid goaltending, sitting in the top six in goals allowed per game. However, there could be some sneaky value in siding with the over six at -110. With the recent trends that we’ve seen from these clubs, it’s hard to look away from what the over presents in this divisional matchup. 

Best Bet: Over 6 (-110) 

After missing the first chunk of the season with an injury, Max Pacioretty has made his presence felt throughout his first stretch of play for the Carolina Hurricanes. Through his first two games with Carolina, Pacioretty has recorded a pair of goals and looks like the goal-scoring winger we’ve been accustomed to seeing. He’s going to see his minutes ramped up over the next stretch of games, and it’s clear he’s already made a seamless transition into playing for Carolina. The veteran winger still isn’t quite priced where he should be, so we should take advantage of his price to score at +198. 

Best Prop: Max Pacioretty to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+198)