New Jersey Devils @ Carolina Hurricanes - April 22, 2025

As I prepare for Tuesday’s matchup between the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center, the stage is set for an intriguing contest. The Hurricanes come into this game as -250 moneyline favorites, but given recent performances, it’s not cut-and-dry.

The Devils are riding a tough wave lately with a disheartening record of 1-5 in their last six games and have been unable to cover the spread in their last five outings. Their struggles seem compounded when they’re on the road, where they’ve only managed a 7-18 record against the spread in their last 25 games. Coming off a loss to these very Hurricanes—where they were beaten soundly at 4-1—it appears New Jersey is desperate for a turnaround.

In terms of offensive production, Carolina has shown itself to be more potent this season, averaging around 3.2 goals per game with impressive shooting statistics—a shooting percentage hovering near 10.3% while generating over 31 shots on goal per game. Their corsi percentage indicates they hold strong possession metrics at nearly 59%, which means they’re often playing with the puck rather than chasing it down.

The power play has been somewhat underwhelming for Carolina, converting only about 18.7% of their chances into goals despite having close to three opportunities per game. Yet, their defensive play cannot be overlooked; with an impressive save percentage of about 88.7% and a penalty kill rate sitting just above league average at roughly 83.6%, Carolina presents itself as resilient even when shorthanded.

On the flip side, New Jersey’s offensive stats tell another story—they average just under three goals per game and produce fewer shots on net compared to their counterparts (28). They do boast one of the higher power play percentages in the league at about 28%, which could be crucial if they’re able to draw penalties against Carolina.

Defensively, New Jersey has maintained slightly better overall save numbers than Carolina (89.8%), yet both teams face challenges keeping opponents off the scoreboard during man-down situations (with a penalty kill percentage below that of Carolina).

Given all these factors—the contrast in recent form combined with statistical trends—I predict that while Carolina will likely emerge victorious based on sheer firepower and home advantage, New Jersey will find enough resolve to cover that spread due to its own efficient special teams unit.

With oddsmakers setting this game’s total at over/under 6.5 goals, I lean towards an “under” prediction given both team’s current scoring woes combined with solid defensive efforts lately—especially considering previous encounters have produced lower totals.

All in all, expect a hard-fought battle where discipline could prove decisive: if New Jersey can execute effectively on its power plays and limit penalties taken against them—this may indeed swing momentum unexpectedly!