Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier, and the New Jersey Devils will do battle against Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in a cross-continent showdown. The action gets going at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 15, and you’ll be able to view it live on Sportsnet Pacific.
New Jersey Devils vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds
The Canucks (-150) are currently favored over the Devils (+130), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Vancouver is 29-41 straight up (SU) and has recorded -1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage isn’t too far off from to what the team produced during the 2017-18 season (31-51). Out of its 70 regular season outings, 37 of them have gone under the total, while 29 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team is 16-17 SU at home this year.
The Canucks have converted on just 14.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 29th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 15th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 28.7 saves per game with a .913 save percentage, Jacob Markstrom (25-28-8) has been the principal option in goal for Vancouver this season. If head coach Travis Green decides to give him a rest, however, the team could roll with Anders Nilsson (3-9-9 record, .895 save percentage, 3.09 goals against average).
New Jersey has lost 15.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 26-45 straight up (SU). 37 of its matches have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under the total and just three have pushed. The Devils are 9-27 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Devils have converted on 17.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fifth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Keith Kinkaid (.891 save percentage and 3.36 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for New Jersey. Kinkaid is averaging 25.8 saves per game and owns a 16-25-6 record.
New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Six of Vancouver’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 2-4 overall in those games.
- Penalties and power plays may prove to be key in tonight’s game. The Devils are 11-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-30 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Canucks are 9-19 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-26 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Vancouver is 3-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while New Jersey is 1-4 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in four of Vancouver’s last five games.
- New Jersey is ranked eighth this season with 9.2 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team’s averaged 10.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Vancouver has averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 7.4 giveaways per game (ranked 4th).
- New Jersey skaters have accounted for the 11th-most hits in the league (23.0 per game).
