Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and the New York Islanders will do battle against Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in a Metropolitan Division showdown. MSG Network will showcase the action, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 7.
New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils Odds
New Jersey (+115) is entering this one as the underdog to New York (-135), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
New York is 26-15 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.5 units this season. 23 of its matches have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Isles are 12-8 SU as a road team in 2019-20.
New York has converted on 19.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it has successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 25.5 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Semyon Varlamov (16-11-3) has been the top option in goal for New York this season. Varlamov played last night, however, so New York might opt to rest him and instead go with Thomas Greiss (11-8 record, .919 save percentage, 2.58 goals against average).
On the other side of the ice, New Jersey is 15-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 22 of its outings have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 6-15 SU as the home team.
The Devils have converted on just 15.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
MacKenzie Blackwood has denied 26.4 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Devils. Blackwood has 14 wins, 18 losses, and five OT losses to his credit and has registered a pedestrian 2.83 goals against average and a fairly-weak .908 save percentage this season.
New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils Betting Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The Devils are 2-4 in games decided by shootout. The Islanders are 3-1 in shootouts.
For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five games.
Over New York’s last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-3 in those games).
New York skaters have accounted for the second-most hits in the league (29.5 per game).
