New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/20/2025

Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Sunday, April 20, 2025

Venue:  Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Devils +150, Hurricanes -180; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Devils +150, Hurricanes -180; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Devils +150, Hurricanes -175; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

New Jersey Devils:  42-33-7 (3rd place, Metropolitan Division)

Carolina Hurricanes:  47-30-5 (2nd place, Metropolitan Division)

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New Jersey Devils:  5-5-0 last 10

Carolina Hurricanes:  3-6-1 last 10

The Devils are entering the playoffs with 91 points, a 42-33-7 record overall, and they were 19-17-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Detroit Red Wings in their last game, losing that one at home 5-2. Erik Haula and Dawson Mercer each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Erik Haula, Seamus Casey, Mike Hardman, and Daniel Sprong each led the team in assists with 1 while Daniel Sprong led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Nico Daws was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 26 shots with 22 saves and a .846 save percentage. Their offense has scored 242 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 222 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are entering the playoffs with 99 points, a 47-30-5 record overall, and they were 31-9-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Ottawa Senators in their last game, losing that one on the road 7-5. Andrei Svechnikov, Skyler Brind'Amour, Tyson Jost, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jack Roslovic each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Taylor Hall led the team in assists with 2 while Jesperi Kotkaniemi led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Frederik Andersen was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 7 goals on 32 shots with 25 saves and a .781 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 266 goals this season averaging 3.2 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 233 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Hurricanes listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 2nd seeded Hurricanes and the 3rd seeded Devils from the Metropolitan Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Hurricanes have looked really good in their games this season with a record that has them as a top 4 team in the East, and they have looked great on home ice with one of the best home records in the entire NHL. Meanwhile, the Devils have looked good in their games this season, but they barely got over 90 points this year and benefited from a weaker Eastern Conference as they were able to finish 3rd in their division and avoid a Wild Card. They have been a good road team though with a winning road record this season and they were better in their road games too. The Devils haven't looked that great lately though and were able to take their foot off the gas since the next team closest to them in their division was quite a few points behind, and no teams from the Metro made the Wild Card either. The Hurricanes haven't looked any better lately as they have been in a huge slump to end the regular season, but they have also been resting some players in these games as they have been in a pocket in their division for a few weeks where they couldn't catch the Capitals but the Devils couldn't catch them. The Hurricanes haven't really done a lot of damage in the playoffs over the years, but they are always a big threat with their great home advantage and they have a lot more playoff experience to draw from than the Devils do. The Devils did give them some trouble during the regular season as they split their 4 meetings this season, but the Hurricanes won both home games by multiple goals and that is where they play their best. Look for the Hurricanes to set the tone in this series with a big win at home to start it off. The best way to place a bet here is on the Hurricanes to win this game and on the puckline. 

Devils Hurricanes Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Sunday, April 20, 2025 (3:00 pm ET start time) is Hurricanes 5 Devils 2.

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New Jersey Devils: 136-120 (-35.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 37-36 (-8.8 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 57-61 (-10.7 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 16-9 UNDER on Sunday games.

Carolina Hurricanes: 95-41 (+15.1 units) on the moneyline in home games. 93-41 (+13.1 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 8-3 (+3.8 units) on the moneyline in the first round of the playoffs. 34-17 UNDER when playing with 2 days rest.

New Jersey Devils:  O. Palat (LW) Day To Day - Undisclosed. J. Siegenthaler (D) Out - Lower-body. J. Hughes (C) Out For Season - Shoulder.

Carolina Hurricanes:  J. Fast (RW) Out For Season - Neck.

"It's a team that knows exactly who they are. Not a lot of change over the years for them except, I think they've developed more skill within their lineup. They're a high-pressure team. They're going to put lots of stress on you and it's going to be on us to manage that." - Sheldon Keefe after his team’s loss against the Red Wings in their regular season finale.

“We left him out to dry there a little bit. They made nice plays. I mean, that’s their team. They’ve got skill and if you give them power plays you’ve got no chance. So, too many and like I said, we left him out to kind of hang out on a lot of those penalties. But other than that, he made some good saves.” - Rod Brind’Amour on Andersen after his team’s loss against the Senators in their regular season finale.

LW Stefan Noesen

C Nico Hischier

RW Jesper Bratt

LD Luke Hughes

RD Dougie Hamilton

G Jacob Markstrom

LW Seth Jarvis

C Sebastian Aho

RW Jackson Blake

LD Jaccob Slavin

RD Brent Burns

G Frederik Andersen

Points: J. Bratt (88)

Goals: N. Hischier (35)

Assists: J. Bratt (67)

GAA: N. Daws (1.60)

Points: S. Aho (74)

Goals: S. Jarvis (32)

Assists: S. Aho (45)

GAA: F. Andersen (2.50)

Coaches:

New Jersey Devils: Sheldon Keefe (1st season)

Carolina Hurricanes: Rod Brind'Amour (7th season)