David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and the Boston Bruins will face off against Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center for an Eastern Conference showdown. The opening face-off is at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 31, and it can be viewed live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils Odds
This contest’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Boston is 24-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 18 of its matches have gone over the total, while another 18 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the away team in 2019-20, the Bruins are 10-7 SU.
Boston comes into the match up with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 26.7 percent of its extra-man chances this season. Additionally, it has the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 84.9 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.8 saves per game with a .923 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (15-9-5) has been the top option in goal for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, Boston might roll with Jaroslav Halak (9-7-4), who has a .928 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, New Jersey is 13-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 38 regular season matches, 20 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team’s 5-14 SU at home.
The Devils have converted on just 15.3 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
MacKenzie Blackwood (26.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Devils. Blackwood has 12 wins, 17 losses, and five overtime losses and has registered a pedestrian 2.89 goals against average and a fairly-weak .906 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Seven of New Jersey’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 2-5 overall in those games.
- The Devils are 5-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-15 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- New Jersey is 1-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 0-5 in shootouts.
- Boston has averaged 10.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 10.8 giveaways per game (ranked 20th overall).
- New Jersey skaters have averaged 10.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.2 giveaways per game (ranked 10th in the NHL).
- Boston skaters have given out the league’s eighth-most hits per game (24.1), but the team’s recorded just 19.4 hits over their last five away games.
