The Carolina Hurricanes had their worst game of the playoffs, and perhaps the season in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, dropping Game 3 by a score of 8-4 and seeing their series lead go from 2-0 to 2-1 in the process.
Perhaps most concerning to Carolina fans ready for North Carolina sports betting was seeing their road woes continue, where they have historically struggled over the past few postseasons.
With home ice advantage for this series against the Devils, this is not a huge concern as long as they can hold serve at home, but coming into their Tuesday night game in New Jersey finding a win was critically important to the Hurricanes.
Sportsbooks knew the Hurricanes struggled on the road, making them the underdog for Game 3 despite the fact that they had the stronger overall record in the regular season. Bettors that found Carolina around +145 were surely concerned as Carolina gave up an early goal to Jack Hughes, who put up four points on Sunday in New Jersey’s big win.
But Carolina quickly righted the ship and tied up the game before the intermission, before then putting up five goals in the second to take a 6-1 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish, taking a stranglehold on the series before heading back to Raleigh.
Necas Comes Through In The Clutch
Martin Necas was the key for Carolina in this one, tying the game in the first period and adding a second in the middle frame. Carolina moved to 5-0 all time in the playoffs when Necas scores, so getting continued production from him is essential for the Canes.
With snipers Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty out for the season, Necas is needed to step up as one of the top scorers for this balanced attack. Carolina once again spread out their offensive stars across all of their lines, keeping Necas and top center Sebastian Aho separated to have scoring threats on the ice more often than not.
Carolina also got production from the back end with playoff performer Brent Burns and steady Brett Pesce each scoring two points. With the aforementioned gamebreakers out of the lineup, getting everyone on the board bodes well for the Hurricanes.
While there aren't yet North Carolina sports betting apps to take action on the Hurricanes, we'll update you on Game 5 and more NHL odds below.
Canes Now Heavy Series Favorites
The series will shift to Carolina for Game 5, putting the Hurricanes back in the friendly confines of PNC Arena with a chance to close out the series. The opening line at DraftKings Sportsbook has Carolina as the slight favorite at -120 with an over/under set at 5.5 and a -120 line for the over. Expect a DraftKings North Carolina promo code when the state officially legalizes mobile sports betting.
With Florida up 3-0 in their Eastern Conference semi-final matchup, Carolina will be motivated to eliminate New Jersey as early as possible so they can be as rested as the Panthers likely will be for the conference finals.
If Necas can continue to put up points and the rest of the lineup continues to contribute like they did in Game 4, Carolina bettors will be ecstatic and can begin to look forward to placing bets on their team in the Eastern Conference Finals.
New Jersey will have their backs against the wall and be motivated to play their best game, so the Canes can’t get too far ahead of themselves but as -750 favorites to now win the series it will be a massive collapse if they don’t move on to the next round.
Stick with BetCarolina for more Hurricanes coverage, and stay tuned for North Carolina sports betting promos as well.
