The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes both started the season strong but faded late. Analysts are giving the Hurricanes the edge in the series, mainly because they have clinched home ice.
Carolina has been tough to beat at home this year with a 31-9-1 record. They’re one of just three NHL teams with 30 or more home wins. Overall, Carolina finished the year with a 47-30-5 record while the Devils finished at 42-33-7.
Projected Lineups for Canes vs. Devils | Game 1
The Devils are without star forward Jack Hughes, who has not played since March and is not expected back until next season. Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler is also expected to miss the first round. Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton returned for the final regular-season game, but analysts say he might not be at full strength. The Devils finished 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, including a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Carolina’s shaky form down the stretch is the only thing making experts cautious about picking them. On paper, the Hurricanes are one of the top contenders to win the Stanley Cup. However, their decision not to retain star forward Mikko Rantanen, combined with some inconsistent goaltending, could give the Devils a chance to take control of the series.
“They’re (New Jersey Devils) a fast team. They’ve got skill up front. They play well with the puck,” Canes forward Sebastian Aho said via NHL.com. “They move it up really quick and have speedy, speedy forwards. We’ve got to be aware of that. Every team knows each other, we’ve played four times already, and a lot of times in previous years. We just have to get to our game and trust what we have here and what got us here.”
New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup
Forwards
Stefan Noesen — Nico Hischier — Jesper Bratt
Erik Haula — Dawson Mercer — Timo Meier
Paul Cotter — Cody Glass — Daniel Sprong
Ondrej Palat — Justin Dowling — Nathan Bastian
Defensemen
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Brenden Dillon — Dougie Hamilton
Brian Dumoulin — Jonathan Kovacevic
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom Jake Allen
Scratched:
Dennis Cholowski, Kurtis MacDermid, Seamus Casey, Simon Nemec, Nolan Foote, Tomas Tatar, Curtis Lazar
Injured:
Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body)
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Forwards
Seth Jarvis — Sebastian Aho — Jackson Blake
Taylor Hall — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Andrei Svechnikov
Jordan Martinook — Jordan Staal — Logan Stankoven
William Carrier — Mark Jankowski — Eric Robinson
Defensemen
Jaccob Slavin — Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov — Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere — Sean Walker
Goalies
Frederik Andersen Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched:
Tyson Jost, Jack Roslovic, Alexander Nikishin
Injured:
None
