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Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions. Tonight’s matchup features the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes in their second meeting of the season. The last matchup saw the Hurricanes win comfortably, despite a 3-2 scoreline.
The Devils (25-21-3) enter tonight coming off of a backbreaking 5-3 home defeat to the Calgary Flames. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes (29-16-5) are wrapping up a five-game home stand and just beat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-2. It’s desperation time for the Devils, as they sit seven points out of a Metro Division playoff spot and five out of a Wild Card spot. Every point and every game is critical, especially against a division rival.
NHL Predictions: New Jersey vs. Carolina
Three Keys to Victory for New Jersey
Wake Up Power Play
The Devils power play stinks. No way around it, they flat-out stink. After starting the year scoring at a historic clip, it has fallen off a cliff. After the first few weeks of the season, the Devils ranked first in the NHL on the power play, with an over 40% success rate. Now, they’ve plummeted to eighth in the league at 24.8%. For a brief period, injuries could be used as a valid excuse, but time has run out on that. Since January 3, the Devils have gone just 2/34 on the man advantage, with both goals coming on a double minor in a game against the Montreal Canadiens… back on January 17. It’s been almost a calendar month since the Devils have scored a power play goal, something a team with this much offensive talent should be ashamed of. If there’s any hope of a turnaround this season, a power play goal would be a nice start.
Meier Missing
Much of the 2023-24 season needs to be thrown in a vault and never thought of again for most of the team. Maybe no more than for Timo Meier. Since signing his big-ticket contract extension, Meier has been a non-factor most nights. Injuries certainly have played a part, but even before the injuries, he wasn’t bringing the same juice. As of late, Meier has been as cold as they come. He hasn’t scored a goal since December 27, marking a 10-game goalless streak. In that time, he’s only added four assists and has been a -11. The Devils brought Meier, and subsequently extended him, to be a core player for this team and to provide a goal-scoring and power-forward element they were missing. Fifty-seven games into his Devils career and they’re still missing it. Maybe it’s Lindy Ruff’s system, or maybe it’s the injuries, but either way, the Devils need Meier to step up big and it starts tonight against the Hurricanes.
Red Hot Necas
Every time the Devils play the Hurricanes they have their hands full. Rod Brind’Amour’s system is smothering and gives the Devils fits. Add in individual players going on hot streaks and good luck. The most recent red-hot Hurricane is Martin Necas. Necas is coming off of a first-period hat trick against the Avalanche. Add in a recent three-game goal streak, as well as an assist, and Necas has put up seven goals and an assist over the last seven games. The one shining light is that the Devils managed to keep him off of the scoresheet in their last meeting. However, in 11 career games against the Devils, Necas has put up three goals and five assists. As if their style of play wasn’t tough enough, the Devils will need to pay special attention to Necas tonight or risk being burned.
Prediction Time
The Devils have oddly shown the ability to beat some of the top teams in the league. However, the Carolina Hurricanes have proved to be a particularly tough task for them in recent years. Most of it comes down to the Hurricanes coaching and style of play being far superior to whatever Lindy Ruff tries to cook up on a night-to-night basis, but regardless they’ve had the Devils number. Despite not being perfect, the Hurricanes have found ways to win games, something the Devils haven’t. There’s nothing to suggest the Devils should win other than the fact that sometimes hockey makes no sense.
Prediction: Hurricanes Win 4-2
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TODAY'S BEST
Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
New report suggests Christian Wilkins release related to 'incident' with teammate
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
Top three notable names to leave the NBA for Europe this summer
There are only 450 spots in the NBA, 540 if you count two-way contracts. Each year, there's a group of players who hit the free-agency market and quietly fade into the obscurity of professional basketball outside of the NBA's bubble. Most of those players head overseas, either to Europe, Australia or China. In recent years, the jump from the NBA to Europe has grown in popularity. The talent level across the top European leagues has dramatically increased, with some teams now closing in on NBA levels of skill and athleticism. And with that talent increase, the pay has started to rise, too. It makes sense, then, that some notable names for NBA fans have made the jump across the Atlantic this summer. Here are the top three players to head to Europe since the start of the offseason. Lonnie Walker IV This time last summer, there was significant chatter about whether Lonnie Walker IV would earn the 15th and final spot on the Boston Celtics roster. The same roster that had won the NBA championship just months earlier. After seeing his Exhibit 10 deal with Boston expire, Walker ended up heading to Lithuania to play for Zalgiris Kaunas before the Philadelphia 76ers brought him back for the second half of the season. Now, after failing to secure a new contract with the Sixers, Walker is heading to Israel, where he's signed a three-year, $10 million deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Walker will now be one of the highest earners within all of European basketball. Oshae Brissett Walker will join Oshae Brissett over in Tel Aviv, as the former NBA champion has also signed with the franchise this summer. Brissett is just 18 months removed from playing a role on the Celtics roster that won the 2024 championship. Brissett doesn't have the athleticism and scoring skill that Walker brings to the table. As such, he won't be bringing home the same level of pay packet. However, he will undoubtedly be one of the better players, both in the Israeli league and in Europe. Brissett leaves the NBA having played in 233 games, averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds on 41.9 percent shooting from two-point range and 33.7 percent from deep. Shake Milton Nobody can deny that Shake Milton has outperformed expectations after entering the NBA as the 54th pick in the 2018 draft. He leaves the NBA having suited up for 359 regular-season games and 40 postseason outings. Milton has spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. Impressively, he's consistently earned playing time, regardless of what roster he's been on. Nevertheless, it would appear that Milton has sought out an opportunity where he can be a core member of a rotation. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, Milton has signed a two-year deal to play in Serbia for Partizan Belgrade. If he can adjust to the physicality of the Serbian league and the slightly different rules set, Milton could become a high-level player in the domestic league and perhaps even in Europe.
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