Matchup Overview

Coming off a tough Overtime loss yesterday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils will aim to rebound on the road against a solid Carolina Hurricanes team. Although the Devils did play better on the road against the Flyers, they are still looking to be more consistent and better in their own end while on the road. Carolina is coming off a 4-1 loss at home yesterday courtesy of the Columbus Blue Jackets, so neither team will have the excuse of playing on back-to-back. Each of these teams play a similar style, so look for this to be a tighter checking game and one that will come down to who takes advantage of their opportunities, especially on special teams.

Keys to the game

Communication…More often than not, when a team is struggling with consistency, it is because they get caught trying to do too much at times. After a strong start yesterday at home, the Devils got complacent and never truly put the pedal to the metal offensively. The number of blind passes or drop passes that end up off line are becoming very noticeable. The guys on the ice need to improve their chemistry a bit and the best way to do that is with a simple stick tap, a quick shout for the puck, or just simply look over your shoulder before you get ready to make a back pass.

Projected Lines

New Jersey

*Lines subject to change, keep an eye on all of the DAB Social Media outlets for updates*

Hall – Zajac – Palmieri

Johannson – Zacha – Bratt

Coleman – Seney – Anderson

Wood – Dea – Noesen

Greene – Severson

Iakovlev – Mueller

Butcher – Lovejoy

Schneider

Carolina Hurricanes

Mcginn – Staal – Williams

Ferland – Aho – Teravainen

Svechnikov – Wallmark – Martinook

Foegele – Bishop – Di Guiseppe

Slavin – Hamilton

De Haan – Faulk

Fleury – Van Riemsdyk

Darling

 

Players to Watch

Joey Anderson…The line of Coleman/Seney/Anderson has looked tremendous ever since being put together. Both Seney and Anderson are growing more comfortable in their roles, and seem to be growing together nicely. Throw in the hard-working Coleman, and you have a line that is a real pain to play against. I expect this line to generate at least one goal today, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s Anderson on the doorstep.

Sebastian Aho… Aho is currently on a four-game point streak (2g, 4a) and is one of the more underrated players in the game. Aho comes in with 23 points in 19 games and is incredibly creative whenever the puck is on his stick. His winger Teuvo Teravainen is dangerous as well, and these two have some nice chemistry to watch for.

 

Where to Watch

PNC Arena 5:00 pm

MSG+

FSCR

 

Betting Lines (all betting info taken from Draftkings Sportsbook)

New Jersey +1.5 goal spread, +138 money line

Carolina: -1.5 goal spread, -175 money line

Over/Under 5.5 goals

 

Prediction

Both teams are coming off of a loss they would rather forget. Carolina has the luxury of playing two games at home while New Jersey had to travel immediately following their afternoon game yesterday afternoon. Missing Vatanen on the back end is a big blow, and if Nico is out another game it could set back the offense on the road. I expect a close contest, but I see Carolina winning this one 3-2.