The Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils for the first game of the season on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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As teams hit the ice for the beginning of the NHL season, here is who we pick to secure the win in Thursday's action.

Our computer projections model for this encounter expects a final result of Hurricanes 4, Devils 2.

The Hurricanes were 47-30-5 overall and 7-6-13 in overtime contests last season.
Carolina picked up 31 points (14-4-3) in the 21 games it played that were decided by one goal.
In the nine games last season the Hurricanes registered only one goal, they lost every time.
Carolina scored exactly two goals in 19 games last season (5-11-3 record, 13 points).
The Hurricanes scored three or more goals in 62 games (51-8-3, 105 points).
In the 32 games when Carolina scored a single power-play goal, it had a 17-12-3 record (37 points).
In the 75 games when it outshot its opponent, Carolina was 44-26-5 (93 points).
The Hurricanes were outshot by their opponent 20 times, and went 10-9-1 (21 points).

The Devils had a 7-8-15 record in overtime contests last season, and a 42-33-7 overall record.
In the 26 games New Jersey played that were decided by one goal, it picked up 28 points.
Last season the Devils recorded only one goal in nine games, and they picked up two points (0-7-2).
When New Jersey scored exactly two goals last season, they amassed seven points (3-13-1 record).
The Devils picked up 85 points in their 52 games when they scored at least three goals.
Last season New Jersey scored a single power-play goal in 22 games and registered 28 points, with a record of 13-7-2.
When outshooting its opponent last season, New Jersey was 29-22-2 (60 points).
The Devils were outshot by their opponents 34 times last season, and took 34 points from those games.

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