This is like picking cherries off a tree. The Devils (plus-0.79 SRS at Hockey Reference) actually outperformed Carolina (plus-0.66 SRS) during the regular season despite finishing second in the Metropolitan Division, but FiveThirtyEight has the Hurricanes winning Wednesday’s second-round opener...
Carolina came up short in their bid to close out this best-of-seven series on Tuesday as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the plucky Islanders. But they can still put this series to bed with just one more win and I say they will do it on Friday night. NHL CAR vs NYI Friday, April 28, 2023
Playoff hockey seems to be where the betting value is right now. The Hurricanes are the ones providing the value here; FiveThirtyEight projects them to beat the Islanders 69% of the time in Game 2, for a fair equivalent moneyline of –223. NHL NYI vs CAR Wednesday, April 19, 2023