NHL Best Bets: Golden Knights vs. Devils Game Picks

Two of the top teams in the NHL are set to collide on Tuesday evening, with the New Jersey Devils playing host to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas Golden Knights (+146) vs. New Jersey Devils (-176) Total: 6.5 (O-102, U-120)

The Golden Knights are playing mediocre hockey amidst some injuries and are sitting with a 5-5 record over their past ten games. On the other hand, the Devils have gotten their mojo back and are 7-1-2 over that same sample size. These teams are listed in the top ten in points in the NHL, and this should be the premiere matchup on this game slate. 

This will be the first of two meetings between these teams, and the Devils are set to enter this matchup as favorites. New Jersey is listed at -176 on the moneyline, while the Golden Knights are priced at +146. With the recent play from these respective clubs, it makes sense that the current pricing sits as it does. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Golden Knights are expected to start Logan Thompson, while the Devils should do the same with Vitek Vanecek. The Golden Knights netminder has posted a 19-13-1 record, paired with a .912 save percentage, while Vanecek is listed at 19-5-2, along with a .916 save percentage. Both goalies have put together strong regular seasons, which should create a competitive matchup here tonight. 

These teams are likely very evenly matched on paper, but it’s hard not to be slightly more impressed with the Devils underlying numbers on paper. This team has continued to battle through and show consistency, which should be evident in this matchup. Despite the price tag not being overly appealing, the Devils are the play to get behind tonight on the moneyline at -176. 

Best Bet: Devils moneyline (-176)

Both of these teams sit inside the top half of the league in goals scored per game and goals allowed per game, while the Devils are the more prominent of the two and sit inside the top ten in each. Over the Golden Knights past five games, two of those matchups have seen seven or more goals scored, while the Devils have seen that transpire in four of their previous five. New Jersey has no problem exchanging chances or playing in a low-scoring environment, and there’s merit in expecting the latter to occur tonight. As a result, siding with the under 6.5 at -120 has some value worth backing. 

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-120) 

It’s no secret that the Devils have emerged as one of the more explosive offenses in the NHL, which finds them with the sixth-highest goals per game in the league. They’ve exploded offensively because of the continued growth and development of their young star center in, Jack Hughes. The former first-overall draft pick has already tallied 30 goals on the campaign while also leading the team with four goals over their past five games. Hughes is currently priced at a very nice number of +128 to score tonight, and there’s a lot of value in that number that warrants a look. 

Best Prop: Jack Hughes to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+128)