The Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils meet in NHL action from the Prudential Center on Wednesday night. Two teams in great form coming into this game, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and give out a Bruins vs. Devils Prediction.
Boston Bruins Team Preview
The Boston Bruins come into this one looking to build on a 5-3 win over Arizona last time out. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 39 points including a team-high 16 goals and 23 assists while Brad Marchand has 25 points with 12 goals and 13 assists. Charlie Coyle has 21 points with 10 goals and 11 assists while Pavel Zacha has 19 points with 8 goals and 11 apples. Charlie McAvoy has 17 points with 14 assists and James van Riemsdyk has 16 points with 5 goals and 11 assists. Jeremy Swayman’s gone 9-1-2 with a 2.08 GAA and a .932 save percentage for the Bruins in goal while Linus Ullmark is 9-4-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .917 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins Team Facts
- The Bruins have won each of their last five games as underdogs.
- The Bruins have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last five games following a home win.
- The Bruins have lost the second period in 10 of their last 11 games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Bruins’ last six games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
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New Jersey Devils Team Preview
The New Jersey Devils come into this game looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss to Edmonton last time out. Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 33 points including 10 goals and a team-high 23 assists while Jesper Bratt has 32 points with 20 assists. Tyler Toffoli has 21 points with a team-high 12 goals while Dougie Hamilton has 16 points with 11 assists and Luke Hughes has 16 points with 12 assists as well this season. Erik Haula also has 13 points with 7 goals. Vitek Vanecek has gone 10-5 with a 3.49 GAA and an .879 save percentage while Akira Schmid is 4-6-1 with a 3.03 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season. The Devils are 11th in the Eastern Conference with 29 points, two more than the Pittsburgh Penguins.
New Jersey Devils Team Facts
- The Devils have won 14 of their last 16 night games following a road loss.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in 12 of the Devils’ last 13 games at Prudential Center.
- The Devils have won the third period in six of their last seven home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Devils’ last 13 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The New Jersey Devils ranks 1st in the league in power play percentage this season (32.56%).
- The New Jersey Devils ranks 31st in the league for goals against per game this season (3.62).
- The Boston Bruins ranks 1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (89.90%).
- The Boston Bruins ranks 3rd in the league for goals against per game this season (2.50).
Bruins vs. Devils Prediction
I’m leaning towards the Bruins here. I just feel like the Bruins are the better team here catching plus money and realistically, when was the last time you saw the Bruins catching plus money? I think someone’s trying to make it seem like the Devils are worth the play here but I’m not buying it. The Bruins have been better on the road by a wide margin compared to the Devils at home and have owned this head-to-head matchup. Give me Boston here.
