Carolina Hurricanes
Karolina won the first round of the play-offs not without problems – the Hurricanes inflicted two confrontations on the “Islanders” from New York. But the Hurricanes made a great start to the series against New Jersey, beating the opposition two times in a row with the score 11-2. However, it was not possible to put the rival on the edge of the abyss – Karolina lost the third match in the series with a score of 4-8. Team Raleigh hasn’t had much shooting all season, but the Hurricanes are playing really fast hockey this series, and New Jersey keeps up that pace. In the first three meetings, Karolina and New Jersey each scored 25 goals apiece – an average of over eight per game. The team is unlikely to start playing other, less productive hockey at the click of a finger.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils defeated the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. It is worth noting that in the series against the Blue Jerseys, New Jersey also started with two crushing defeats in a row, but then the Devils rallied and grabbed a ticket to the second round. On the night of May 8, the Devils showed that they are not to be taken lightly as New Jersey defeated their rival by a score of 8-4. Already after the first period, the “devils” were leading 3:0, and Karolina was unable to make up for such a backlog. Now the teams must play the most important match: either New Jersey will win again at home and tie the score in the series, capturing the emotional initiative, or Karolina will easily win and put the opponent on the edge of the abyss. The “Devils” in this overtime often enjoy bright matchups, and today we should expect a shootout again.
Forecast
Karolina and New Jersey are not going to stop – the Hurricanes and Devils have already had three bright fights in a row. The fourth match in the series is of great strategic importance, so no one is going down without a fight. Probably the game will be a little cautious, but only until the first dropped puck – then the fast hockey will start. I take the sum above (5) to get a good ratio for this option.