New Jersey Devils (30-40-10, eighth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (44-29-7, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Carolina hosts New Jersey in Eastern Conference action.
The Hurricanes are 25-21-4 in conference matchups. Carolina leads the Eastern Conference shooting 34.6 shots per game while averaging 3.0 goals.
The Devils are 9-15-3 against the rest of their division. New Jersey is last in the Eastern Conference averaging just 4.3 assists per game. Nico Hischier leads the team with 29 total assists. In their last meeting on Feb. 10, New Jersey won 3-2. Marcus Johansson scored a team-high two goals for the Devils in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 82 total points, scoring 30 goals and registering 52 assists. Dougie Hamilton has five goals and two assists over the last 10 games for Carolina.
LAST 10 GAMES: Devils: 5-4-1, averaging two goals, 3.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .919 save percentage.
Hurricanes: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game with a .921 save percentage.
Hurricanes Injuries: Calvin de Haan: day to day (upper body).
Devils Injuries: Sami Vatanen: day to day (illness), Nathan Bastian: out (undisclosed), Jesper Bratt: out for season (lower body), Kyle Palmieri: day to day (lower body).
