Carolina - New Jersey: NHL match betting tip

Current form

Carolina was among the leaders of the East throughout the season, but could not claim the first place in the conference. The team from Raleigh confidently moved to the second position in the table of the Metropolitan Division, but could not stay on the second line in its half. The Hurricanes played the last few regular season games rather poorly and lost seven out of eight matches. The Hurricanes scored only 99 points and reached the playoffs from only fourth place, passing Toronto and Tampa Bay ahead, but easily left New Jersey behind.

The hosts played better on their own ice than other conference teams and scored 63 points in 41 matches. Caines don't play as much on offense, and over the course of the season they parted ways with Martin Nechas and Mikko Rantanenon, who were the team's leaders in scoring. Sebastian Aho remains Carolina's main attacking threat. The Finn scored 74 points (29+45) in the goal+pass system.

Disqualifications and injuries

Jesper Fast will not play against the Devils.

Interesting betting trends

• Carolina gets 7.68 minutes of penalty time per match
• According to statistics, the hosts allow only 25 shots to be thrown at their own goal.

Current form

New Jersey had a great start to the season and was leading the conference table for a while. The Devils gradually slipped down and dropped out of the leaders of the East, but retained the third place in the division. Sheldon Keogh's men play from their own goal and are one of the least permissive teams in the East. The Devils are playing well on the road and have scored 49 points in 41 games. They came to the playoffs in not the best shape and lost four out of five meetings, while playing with far from the strongest teams.

Jacob Markstrom will defend the visitors' goal from the first minutes of the playoffs. The Swede had a good season, but reflected only 89.82% of shots, although he conceded only 2.56 goals per match. He will be paired with Jake Allen, who has slightly better performance, but appeared on the ice much less often than his colleague. Niko Dawes recently got his chance, but it is unlikely that he will be able to prove himself in the final part of the tournament.

Disqualifications and injuries

Jack Hughes will not play the role. Onjay Palat's participation is questionable.

Interesting betting trends

• New Jersey is averaging 2.95 goals per game.
• The Devils shoot at their opponents' goal only 28 times per game.