Hurricanes vs Devils Odds, Pick, Prediction: Game 3 (May 7, Sunday)

Hurricanes vs Devils Odds, Pick, Prediction: Game 3 (May 7, Sunday) article feature image
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Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes vs Devils Odds

Hurricanes Odds+112
Devils Odds-134
Over/Under5.5 (+106 / -130)
Time3:30 p.m. ET
TVTBS
Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here.

After dominating the first two games of its second-round Stanley Cup playoff series, Hurricanes vs. Devils odds have Carolina as a road underdog in New Jersey.

After a grueling, seven-game, first-round series, the Devils have been thoroughly outplayed in round two. They rebounded from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Rangers. Can they do it again?

Here's the latest on both teams and a Hurricanes vs. Devils pick for Game 3.


Carolina Hurricanes

With three long-term injuries among their forward group, the Carolina Hurricanes were expected to have trouble putting the puck in the net during the playoffs. In their first-round series against the New York Islanders, they did just enough to win — scoring 16 goals over six games and winning only once by a margin of more than one goal.

Against the Devils, though, things have been different. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is leading the way with three goals, and eight other players have also lit the lamp. The Hurricanes are dominating possession at 5-on-5 and controlling nearly 56% of expected goals. They're also 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

In net, Frederik Andersen has been outstanding since he returned from injury and started Game 6 against the Islanders. He has given up just one goal in each of his three starts — all wins — and boasts a .963 save percentage and 4.0 goals saved above expected in the playoffs.

Antti Raanta started the playoffs for the Hurricanes, but did not dress as Andersen's backup in Game 2 due to illness. Coach Rod Brind'Amour said Raanta was "not great" Saturday. He is with the team in New Jersey, but Pyotr Kochetkov may be asked to dress as the backup once again for Game 3.

Among the skaters, don't expect any lineup changes from Brind'Amour's group, which has been clicking on all cylinders in this series.

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New Jersey Devils

Against the Rangers, the Devils' team speed was on full display. However, the Hurricanes are also a fast team, so that competitive advantage has been neutralized through the first two games of this series.

New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff is adding another strong skater to his lineup for Game 3 as Luke Hughes will take a blue-line spot in place of Ryan Graves, who is out with an upper-body injury.

Hughes, of course, is the 19-year-old brother of the Devils' top-line center, Jack Hughes. After two years at the University of Michigan, Luke played his first two NHL games near the end of the regular season and did not look out out place. In his second outing, he played more than 20 minutes and put up a goal and an assist against the Washington Capitals.

Hughes was inserted onto the Devils' top power-play unit at practice on Saturday. The Devils went 4-for-21 with the man advantage in Round 1, but have yet to crack the Canes' penalty kill.

The Devils started their comeback against the Rangers when Akira Schmid replaced Vitek Vanecek in net for Game 3. Schmid successfully out-dueled Igor Shesterkin, but has been pulled in both games against Carolina as he's given up seven goals in just over three periods. That works out to a save percentage of .806 and a GAA of 6.78 in the series.

Vanecek was the first goalie off the ice for New Jersey at practice on Saturday, but Ruff was non-committal about who would start Game 3. Vanecek has given up three goals on 22 shots in his two relief efforts against the Hurricanes and has an .838 save percentage, a 4.03 goals-against average and minus-3.3 goals saved above expected in five playoff appearances.

Hurricanes vs. Devils Pick

Based on what happened in Round 1, Sunday's game is a great bounce-back opportunity for New Jersey. They beat the Rangers 2-1 in overtime in Game 3, launching themselves back into their series. And after handling the New York Islanders in their first two games on home ice in the first round, the Hurricanes laid their only egg of the playoffs in Game 3, a 5-1 loss.

The Devils don't have a goaltending ace up their sleeve anymore, either. So the Hurricanes are in good position to put a stranglehold on the series.

And that's good news for bettors. Even though road teams have done very well in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, the Hurricanes are still plus-money, despite their dominance of this series.

Take advantage of this line.

Pick: Hurricanes Moneyline +112 (Play to +100)

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