Carolina Hurricanes @ New Jersey Devils - April 27, 2025

Divisional bragging rights will be on the line this Sunday as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Oddsmakers have opened with Carolina as -175 moneyline favorites, while the total for the game sits at 6.5. This matchup is intriguing not only because of its playoff implications but also due to recent performances that could shed light on what we might expect.

Carolina enters this game with a record of 49-30-6 and has been struggling lately, going 3-8 straight up in their last 11 games. Their offensive output averages around 3.25 goals per game, supported by a solid shooting percentage of 10.3%. The Hurricanes also boast impressive possession metrics, holding a corsi percentage of nearly 59% and an offensive zone percentage above 56%. However, their power play has been less than stellar, converting just 18.7% of chances into goals.

On the other hand, New Jersey’s recent form has been similarly disappointing; they sit at 43-35-7 and are just 2-6 SU in their last eight outings. Offensively, they average approximately 2.9 goals per game with a shooting percentage slightly lower at about 10.6%. Their Corsi percentage stands at around 52%, which indicates decent puck possession but isn’t quite as strong as Carolina’s metrics suggest.

Defensively, both teams have shown vulnerabilities recently. Carolina saves about 88.7% of shots faced while New Jersey is marginally better at an impressive save rate of nearly 89.8%. However, when it comes to penalty killing efficiency, both teams are neck-and-neck: New Jersey leads slightly with an PK rate of about 82.67%, compared to Carolina’s modestly better figure of roughly 83.61%.

Given these statistics and trends leading up to this matchup, I predict that Carolina will secure a victory against New Jersey tonight—primarily due to their superior offensive capabilities and overall team stats despite recent struggles.

When considering point spreads and totals betting options for this contest, I believe that Carolina will cover the spread given their status as favorites paired with recent underdog success against them (the last matchup saw New Jersey come out victorious). Furthermore, based on both teams’ scoring tendencies—especially considering how often they’ve gone under recently—I lean towards the total remaining under the established line of six-and-a-half goals.

In summary: expect a hard-fought battle where Carolina emerges victorious while covering the spread; however, anticipate another low-scoring affair where totals bettors may find solace in backing the under once again!