NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions for Tuesday: Ducks vs. Devils (10/18)
We’re about a week into the new NHL season, and most teams have 2-3 games under their belts so far. While it’s still very early, we’re getting some quality insight into how teams will fare compared to what we expected in the preseason.
As for tonight’s action, there are eight games on the docket, with a quartet of east coast games getting us going at 7:00 p.m. ET. I’ve listed my top three bets for the NHL tonight. Let’s take a closer look at Ducks vs. Devils.
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
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NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions for Tuesday: Ducks vs. Devils
Anaheim Ducks vs. New Jersey Devils
The Ducks make the short trip over from New York after suffering a 6-4 loss last night at the hands of the Rangers. As for the Devils, they are well-rested as they haven’t played since Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Detroit. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from the Prudential Center in this cross-conference clash.
Anaheim’s off to a 1-2-0 start to the year, with their lone victory coming back on opening night against the Kraken. They now find themselves on a five-game road trip out east with remaining stops in New Jersey, Boston, and Detroit. With the Ducks being on the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll likely go with backup netminder Anthony Stolarz after John Gibson played the first two periods last night and went 29/34 on save opportunities. Stolarz took over in the third and stopped 8/9 New York shots.
New Jersey’s off to a rough 0-2-0 start with consecutive 5-2 losses to the Red Wings and the Flyers to open the year. They’ll have either Vitek Vanecek or Mackenzie Blackwood in net tonight, and it’s worth noting that they each have GAAs north of 4.00 and SV%’s lower than .850.
I’m going to take a shot here with the Ducks as a sizeable underdog. Honestly, I don’t think the Devils should be laying this type of juice to any team in the NHL. I’m assuming the line is on the higher side due to the back-to-back scenario that the Ducks are in, but it’s early in the season, and Anaheim has plenty of young skaters. These guys shouldn’t be affected by the short turnaround. I view this game as more of a toss-up between two similar teams trying to develop their young stars, and I’ll back the Ducks with this plus-money payout against a winless Devils side. The difference in this game could be the special teams’ play, where Anaheim ranks 11th on the power play (25.00%) compared to New Jersey’s 20th-ranked unit (16.67%).
Bet: Anaheim Ducks Moneyline (+158 via Caesars)
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