The two division leads in the Eastern Conference face off as the New Jersey Devils face the Florida Panthers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Devils-Panthers prediction and pick.
The Devils come into the game sitting at 10-6-2 and have won five of their last seven games. Last time out, they faced the San Jose Sharks. Less than four minutes into the game, Nico Sturm gave the Sharks the 1-0 lead. That would be the end of the scoring. Jake Allen stopped 26 of 27 shots but was outperformed by Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped all 44 shots he faced in the winning effort. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 11-3-1 on the year and have won seven straight games. They played the Flyers last time out. After being down in the third period, the Flyers tied the game but would fall in the shootout to the Panthers.
Here are the Devils-Panthers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Devils-Panthers Odds
New Jersey Devils: +1.5 (-210)
Moneyline: +125
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: -150
Over: 6.5 (+104)
Under: 6.5 (-128)
How To Watch Devils vs Panthers
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: ESPN+/Hulu
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Devils are led by a top-line of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer. Hischier scored 27 goals and had 40 assists last year with 67 total points. Hischier has ten goals and six assists this year. Timo Meier led the team in goals last year. In his 69 games, he scored 28 times with 24 assists. That was good for 52 total points. Meier has six goals and seven assists this year. Mercer has struggled some this year, coming in with four goals and five assists this year.
Jack Hughes leads the second line. Jack Hughes was also solid in his 62 games last year. He has 27 goals, 47 assists, and 74 total points. Hughes has seven goals and 11 assists on the year. He is joined on the second line by Jesper Bratt. Bratt led the team in points last year, with 27 goals, 56 assists, and 83 total points. He has five goals and 14 assists. Finally, third line Stefan Noesen has been great. He has seven goals and seven assists on the year. That places him fourth on the team in points this year.
Jacob Markstom is expected to be in goal for the Devils in this one. He is 7-4-1 with a 2.67 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage. Markstrom stopped 19 of 22 shots in the last game taking the win in overtime. He has won four of his last five starts, allowing ten goals over the five games.
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Panthers bring back their top guys from last year's Cup team. Sam Reinhart comes back to lead the first line. Last year he led the team with 57 goals while adding 37 assists, good for 94 total points. Reinhart has been great this year, with 11 goals and 12 assists on the season. He has two goals on the power play and three shorthanded. He is joined on the top line by Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodriguez. Barkov has played just seven games this year, coming away with two goals and ten assists. Meanwhile, Rodrigues has four goals and five assists this year.
The second line features Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett has continued to play well this year. He has nine goals and six assists this year. Meanwhile, Tkachuk has four goals and six assists on the year, while Verhaeghe has four goals and eight assists on the year. The Panthers also get production from the blue line. Gustav Forsling has three goals and five assists on the year, while Aaron Ekbald had six assists on the year.
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected in goal for the Panthers. He is 8-2-1 on the year with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. He has won five straight starts and has been solid in the process. Last time out he stopped 34 of 37 shots in a win. In his last five starts, he has stopped 132 of 144 shots, good for a .917 save percentage.
Final Devils-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The Florida Panthers come in as the favorite in this early-season NHL game. The Devils have been solid this year, scoring 3.44 goals per game while sitting fifth on the power play this year. Further, they have been solid on defense as well, sitting seventh on the penalty kill and seventh in goals allowed per game this year. The Panthers are scoring better this year, scoring 3.80 goals per game this year, while sitting seventh on the power play. They are tied for 11th in goals against per game while sitting fifth on the penalty kill. This will be a tight game, but the Panthers have been the better team as of late.
Final Devils-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Panthers ML (-150)
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