New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Game 5 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, April 29, 2025

The New Jersey Devils are on the road to play the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

New Jersey is down 3-1 in the series and is looking to avoid elimination.

Devils vs Hurricanes: Head-to-head & key stats

• New Jersey went 2-2 against Carolina this season, and is 1-3 in the playoffs
• The Devils are averaging 2.92 goals per game
• Carolina is 31-9-1 at home
• New Jersey is allowing 2.68 goals per game
• The Hurricanes are averaging 3.24 goals per game
• The Devils are 23-16-2 on the road
• Carolina is allowing 2.8 goals per game

New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Preview

New Jersey is coming off a 5-2 loss in Game 4 to go down 3-1 in the series. The Devils were led by Timo Meier who had a goal and an assist, while Nico Hischier also scored.

The Devils will start Jacob Markstrom who went 26-16-6 with a 2.50 GAA and a .900 SV%. In his career against the Hurricanes, he's 9-5-1 with a 2.36 GAA and a .922 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 1-3 with a 2.53 GAA and a .913 SV%.

Carolina, meanwhile, saw goaltender Frederik Andersen go down with an injury in Game 4. The Hurricanes will now likely start Pytor Kochetkov who went 27-16-3 with a 2.60 GAA and a .897 SV% in the season. In his career against the Devils, he's 5-3 with a 2.25 GAA and a .914 SV%.

The Hurricanes, in Game 4, were led by Andrei Svechnikov, who scored three goals, Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake had 2 assists, while Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin also scored.

Devils vs Hurricanes: Odds & Prediction

New Jersey is a +225 underdog while Carolina is a -278 favorite, and the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.

The Devils entered the playoffs with plenty of injuries, and it has hurt their chances of winning this series. However, Carolina is still the better team, and the Hurricanes will close out the series here.

Kochetkov played decently in relief, but the Hurricanes' offense will be the difference here as Carolina will get a big win to advance to the second round.

Prediction: Hurricanes 4, Devils 2.

Devils vs Hurricanes: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Carolina ML (-278)

Tip 2: Carolina -1.5 (+100)

Tip 3: Over 5.5 goals (+102)