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The New Jersey Devils head to Raleigh, North Carolina for game one of their second round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The two teams are all set for a 7:00 p.m. EST puck-drop from PNC Arena.

New Jersey enters this game feeling good after taking down the New York Rangers in their previous series. The Devils are fighters and have become accustomed to close games so they are battle tested. They did shut out the Rangers in game seven in impressive fashion so the goaltending has been strong in the playoffs. New Jersey has been one of the better stories all year long and they surely aren’t going to just bow down to the Hurricanes. The Devils will use their offensive attack to help set up their defense and honestly, it will be a good game plan against this strong Carolina team.

The Hurricanes come into this series after taking down the New York Islanders in the first round. They used their speed and physicality to bolster their chances and it worked out well for them. Carolina has been one of the better teams all year long and now are one of the favorites to win it all with the Boston Bruins being eliminated. They are lethal on both offense and defense and will make you pay if mistakes are made. Carolina has an excellent home ice advantage so they will likely use the crowd to help feed into their energy, especially as the game starts out.

Game Prediction: Carolina Hurricanes 3, New Jersey Devils 2

The Hurricanes take game one behind a strong team effort despite the solid efforts from the Devils tonight.

Odds Presented By Betfred Sportsbook 

Spread – New Jersey Devils +1.5 (-280) / Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+220)

Moneyline – New Jersey Devils +100 / Carolina Hurricanes -120

Total – 5.5 – Over (+115) / Under (-135)

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