Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the New Jersey Devils and the Edmonton Oilers meet at Rogers Place for a cross-continent showdown. The opening face-off takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, November 3, and it’s being shown live on Sportsnet.
New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers Odds
Edmonton enters the contest as the heavy favorite with a -165 moneyline. The line for New Jersey sits at +145. The Over/Under (O/U), set at 6 goals, originally opened at -120 for the over and +100 for the under. That line’s shifted, however, and it now sits at -130 to take the over and +110 to take the under.
New Jersey is 9-2 straight up (SU) and has netted 8.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Seven of its outings have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. The Devils are 5-0 SU as the road team in 2017-18.
The Devils have converted on 26.8 percent of their power play opportunities thus far. That’s a nice improvement from last year, when they were ranked 22nd in the NHL by converting on 17.5 percent of their extra-man chances. Their penalty kill has also gotten stronger, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 79.6 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 23rd overall last season) to 81.1 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, the Devils have been penalized 5.3 times per game this season, a number that’s regressed noticeably from the 4.0 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 10.0 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 12.9 minutes per outing this year.
Averaging 32.1 saves per game with a .921 save percentage, Cory Schneider (7-1) has been the best option in goal for New Jersey this year. If head coach John Hynes chooses to rest him, however, New Jersey could roll with Keith Kinkaid (3-1), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average this year.
Taylor Hall and Will Butcher will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Devils. Hall has 15 points on three goals and 12 assists, and has recorded multiple points three times. Butcher has zero goal and 11 assists to his name, and has registered a point in seven games.
Over on the other bench, Edmonton is 3-8 straight up (SU) and has recorded -8.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Six of its matches have gone under the total, while five have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 2-5 SU at home so far this year.
The Oilers have converted on just 13.2 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 68.3 percent of all penalties.
Oilers players have been penalized 4.5 times per game this season, a number that has climbed some from the 3.8 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.6 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 11.2 minutes per matchup this season.
Cam Talbot (26.3 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has three wins, seven losses, and one overtime loss and has recorded a poor .904 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average this year.
The Oilers will be led on offense by Connor McDavid (five goals, eight assists).
New Jersey Devils vs. Edmonton Oilers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- After posting a 3-3 record in games decided by a shootout last year, New Jersey is off to a 2-0 start in shootouts this season. Edmonton was 4-5 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- The under has hit in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
- New Jersey has managed 30.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Edmonton has been attempting 39.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
