Hurricanes Can Continue Run Against Devils

Hurricanes vs. Devils, 7:00 ET

Yesterday we had a play on the hardwood and on the grid iron. The basketball play was a big loser as the teams flew over the total and it was an offensive showcase instead of any attempt at defense being played. On the football field, we snuck over the total in a MAC game and took the win. Playing a lot of different sports is kind of fun because it makes your brain have to stay sharp in a variety of ways. Tonight, we head to a different surface for a game as the Hurricanes take on the Devils on the ice tonight. 

Carolina comes into tonight's game with one of the best records in the National Hockey League. To date, they are 14-4-0 for the season and are playing very well on the road with a 7-3-0 record. The Hurricanes have one of the best offenses in hockey as they race up and down the ice. They are shooting 34.2 shots per game and scoring four goals per game on average. In fact, they've scored at least four goals in four of their past five games, including three straight. Their defense is very good as well, they are only allowing 2.33 goals against per game, and opponents are only shooting 25 shots against them per game this year. They've allowed a total of two goals in their last three games combined, and four goals in their last four wins. It is expected that they will have Spencer Martin in the net tonight. It will be his third game this year. He is 1-1-0 for the year with a 2.80 goals against per game and a .891 save percentage. He's had a mixed bag of his three appearances. In his first game, he allowed five goals in a full start. His next game he came in relief and allowed one goal in 11 minutes. The most recent appearance was a shutout against Ottowa. 

Nov 16, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) controls the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Devils don't have quite as great of a record as the Hurricanes, but they are 12-7-2 for the year. That is certainly a respectable record to this point in the season. New Jersey hasn't been great at home this season with a 4-3-2 record. The Devils offense has been rather good this year, getting 3.43 goals per game. This comes on 30 shot attempts which means they are going to need to increase their volume against a good Hurricane team in order to keep up with them. On defense, they are allowing 2.67 goals against per game on 27.6 shot attempts per game. Over their past five games, the Devils are 3-2 with four or more goals scored in the wins, and they were shut out in the other two games. Tonight they are expected to have Jacob Markstrom in the net. Markstrom is 8-5-1 this year with the 15th best goals against average at 2.58. He has a .907 save percentage which is 20th best in the NHL. He hasn't been great this month, but not terrible either. He allowed three goals in three games, and a total of three goals in the other two games.

This should be a good back-and-forth game. It is a bit interesting, there doesn't seem to be much consistency on offense or on defense for the teams. The Hurricanes are scoring a lot of goals, but then they get shut out. The same can be said about the Devils. That makes me a little leery of taking the under or over because who knows which version of the teams will show up. Instead, I think the Hurricanes take this one. They are playing better currently. I'll back the Hurricanes here. 

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