The New Jersey Devils were smothered in their Game 1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.

The Devils fell behind early and never could get their legs going against Carolina’s relentless forecheck, and that was that.

The final score was lopsided as is, but 4-1 undersells how the Canes dominated the Devils in the opening contest of this best-of-seven series.

If Jacob Markstrom wasn’t sharp in goal for New Jersey, the scoreboard could have looked a lot uglier for Sheldon Keefe’s side.

Carolina is a -250 favorite to make it 2-0 on Tuesday evening, with the total set at 5.5 goals.

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Devils vs. Hurricanes Game 2 betting preview

There is no big secret to how Carolina wants to play. 

Since Rod Brind’Amour became the head coach in 2018, the Canes have excelled in 5-on-5 play by utilizing an aggressive forecheck strategy to maintain possession in the offensive zone and disrupt their opponents in front of the net.

The way to counter this approach is to play a quick, clean game in your own zone and get pucks behind Carolina’s defenseman to create odd-man rushes.

The Devils did a terrible job of that in Game 1 and they paid for it dearly.

While Carolina doesn’t need to change a thing ahead of Game 2, the Devils will need to overhaul their approach from the opener.

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Devils vs. Hurricanes Game 2 pick

The Devils have no choice in how they need to game plan for Game 2.

Due to Jack Hughes’ absence, the Devils must focus on enduring the Canes’ pressure rather than attempting to outperform them. While this tactic may differ from their usual approach, it is their best chance in this particular matchup.

In Game 2, anticipate the Devils adopting a more conservative initial game plan to prevent falling behind early against the Canes, a team known for capitalizing on early goals to put their opponents at a disadvantage. By slowing down the game’s pace, the Devils aim to thwart their opponent’s strength.

If New Jersey is able to weather Carolina’s initial surge, it’ll take the crowd out of the game and could give the Devils a chance to rope-a-dope a team that has fallen victim to that strategy plenty of times in previous playoff series.

Things may open up after the first 20 minutes, but I’m betting on a scrappy start to Game 2.

The Play: 1P Under 0.5 goals (+310, BetMGM) 

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.

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