The Carolina Hurricanes return to home ice on Tuesday night with a chance to eliminate the New Jersey Devils and move on to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, holding a commanding 3–1 series lead that has been built on disciplined defense, opportunistic scoring, and strong special teams play. Game 4 in New Jersey saw the Hurricanes execute their system almost perfectly, frustrating the Devils’ top scorers while consistently capitalizing on turnovers and power-play opportunities, with standout performances from Sebastian Aho, Jake Guentzel, and a defense corps that has shown remarkable structure and resilience under pressure. Carolina has now won nine of the last eleven meetings against New Jersey, a trend that underscores the Hurricanes’ dominance in this matchup and highlights the Devils’ struggles to find solutions against Carolina’s aggressive forecheck and tight defensive zone coverage. The Hurricanes’ style has emphasized possession and puck management, elements that have exposed the Devils’ defensive lapses throughout the series, especially when trying to transition quickly out of their own end. Meanwhile, the Devils enter Game 5 clinging to the faint hope of a comeback but must overcome significant obstacles, including a poor track record when trailing 3–1 in playoff series and an offense that has been far too inconsistent at generating sustained pressure against Carolina’s stout defensive structure. New Jersey’s best players, including Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, have struggled to find open space and have been largely neutralized by Carolina’s relentless puck pursuit and physical play along the boards.

Statistically, the Devils have leaned toward higher-scoring games this season, with the over hitting frequently, but Carolina’s preference for tight, lower-scoring contests has dictated the pace of this series, and the under has quietly been the safer betting angle in Hurricanes games. Despite New Jersey showing occasional bursts of speed and skill, their inability to sustain offensive zone time and their struggles to win faceoffs have tilted the ice heavily in Carolina’s favor, allowing the Hurricanes to dictate matchups and deploy their depth effectively across four lines. Goaltending has also been a key separator in the series, with Carolina’s netminders providing stability and confidence while New Jersey has faced inconsistency between the pipes, often giving up momentum-shifting goals at inopportune times. Heading into Game 5, the pressure clearly lies on the Devils to find a way to disrupt Carolina’s rhythm early, perhaps by scoring first and forcing the Hurricanes to open up more than they would prefer; otherwise, the Hurricanes are likely to methodically grind down New Jersey over sixty minutes, staying patient, playing their system, and relying on their playoff-tested stars to seal the series. With the home crowd expected to be electric and the Hurricanes showing no signs of letting up, Game 5 is set up for Carolina to finish the job, while New Jersey must summon their best performance of the season to extend their playoff life by even one more game.