NHL: New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins odds & prediction
The New Jersey Devils will be a desperate team on Thursday night.
Riding a three-game losing streak and sitting with a 5-5-0 record in their last 10 games, the Devils will need to get back on track soon or they will be at risk of falling out of the race for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division before the holidays.
But getting back on track will be easier said than done for the Devils. Not only will they likely be without Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier again on Thursday, but they’ll also be taking on a red-hot Penguins team that has won five in a row.
Pittsburgh is a -142 favorite against New Jersey on Thursday.
No matter how you shake it, the Devils have been a disappointment to start this season. The injuries to Hughes and Hischier are unfortunate, but this team was priced as one of the Stanley Cup favorites before the season. Elite teams find a way to overcome those kind of hurdles, but the Devils just haven’t been able to find their way yet.
New Jersey has not been the dominant force at 5-on-5 that it was last season yet, but a lot of the Devils’ problems would be alleviated if the club saw some improvement from its goaltenders, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek. New Jersey’s goaltending was always thought to be its biggest weakness, but most people thought it would be at least a little better than this.
It is a shame that the Devils aren’t getting saves, because the rest of the process looks pretty strong. New Jersey is averaging a +0.70 expected goal difference per 60 minutes over its last 10 contests and is fifth in high-danger scoring chance difference in that span. Those numbers should lead to better results for New Jersey soon.
The Penguins have been generally solid for the last two weeks and their 3-6-0 start had a lot to do with some poor luck, but this looks like a classic buy-low spot on a dangerous, desperate team.
The Bet: New Jersey Devils +120 or better
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