Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will face off as the Florida Panthers face the New Jersey Devils. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Panthers-Devils prediction and pick.

The Florida Panthers, who will be hosting the next Winter Classic,  come into Monday night sitting at 25-15-3, which is good for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers head into Monday night coming off a loss to the Bruins and will be in Philadelphia for a game with the Flyers before facing the Devils on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Devils are 26-15-4 on the year, second place in the Metropolitan Division. This has the Devils looking to make roster upgrades at the trade deadline. In their last game, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Devils scored first on a goal from Ondrej Palat. Still, the Lightning would tie the game in the first period. In the second period, the Devils took the lead on a Jack Hughes goal, but the Lightning would tie the game in the third. This would force overtime, where Stefan Noesen scored to win the game for the Devils 3-2.

Here are the Panthers-Devils NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Panthers-Devils Odds

Florida Panthers: +1.5 (-205)

Moneyline: +122

New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+164)

Moneyline: -146

Over: 5.5 (-138)

Under: 5.5 (+112)

How To Watch Panthers vs Devils

Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+

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Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win

The Florida Panthers are led by Sam Reinhart, who leads the team in goals and points this year. He comes in with 25 goals and 24 assists on the season. Reinhart has eight goals on the power play and four shorthanded. Aleksander Barkov joins him on the line and is third on the team in points while leading the team in assists this year. Barkov has 11 goals and 26 assists. Further, Barkov has five goals and eight assists on the power play. They are joined on the top line by Evan Rodrigues who comes into the game with eight goals and ten assists.

Matthew Tkachuk is second on the team in points. He comes in with 14 goals and 25 assists this year, good for his 39 points. Tkachuk is joined on the line by Sam Bennett. He has 13 goals and 15 assists this year. Finally, Carter Verhaeghe is fourth on the team in points, and playing on the third line. He has ten goals and 20 assists this year.

With Sergei Bobrovsky expected to start Monday night, it will be Spencer Knight in goal for this one. He is 7-6-1 on the year with a 2.80 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage. Last time out, he stopped 29 of 31 shots in a win. It was the second time in three games he allowed just two goals and had a save percentage over .900 while taking the win.

Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win

Nico Hischier, who leads the top line for the Devils, is third on the team in points while leading the team in goals.  He has 18 goals and 17 assists this year while scoring six goals and seven assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Timo Meier has been productive alongside Hischier. Meier comes in with 14 goals and 15 assists this year while having three goals and three assists on the power play. Stefan Noesen rounds out the line. He is sixth on the team in points while having 17 goals and 11 assists.

The second line for the Devils is home to Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, who are the top two point scorers this year. The team's leading scorer is Jack Hughes. Hughes comes into the game with 17 goals and 35 assists, to lead the team with 52 points. Bratt is just behind him while leading the team in assists. Bratt has 15 goals and 36 assists, good for 51 points. Both have been strong on the power play as well. Hughes has five goals and 17 assists, while Bratt has four goals and 16 assists on the power play.

Jacob Markstrom is expected to be in goal for the Devils. He is 21-8-2 on the year with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He is second in the NHL in wins, while fourth in the NHL in goals-against average and 12th in save percentage this year.

Final Panthers-Devils Prediction & Pick

The Devils are favored in terms of odds at home in this NHL game. A major reason is their defense, which is fourth in the NHL in goals against per game. Further, the Devils have the better goaltender in this matchup. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 17th in the NHL in goals against per game, while playing their backup goaltender. They are also 14th on the penalty kill and facing the third-best power play unit. Take the Devils in this one.

Final Panthers-Devils Prediction & Pick: Devils ML (-146)