The New Jersey Devils (47-20-8) head to take on the Chicago Blackhawks (24-45-6), who will be looking to halt their losing streak, at United Center on Saturday.
New Jersey is coming off a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday. The Devils committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal. Timo Meier and Erik Haula each scored once for the Devils.
Vitek Vanecek saved an impressive 24 of 25 shots (.960%) in the win. Chicago is playing their last of four games at home after a 5-3 loss against the Blues on Thursday, their seventh consecutive defeat.
Tyler Johnson, Andreas Athanasiou, and Boris Katchouk each scored once for the Blackhawks. Johnson added an assist to share the scoring lead with Taylor Raddysh, who had two assists. Petr Mrazek saved only 24 of 28 shots against (.857%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Devils won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-0 victory in December. Dougie Hamilton led New Jersey with three points (1G 2A). Vanecek saved 24 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
New Jersey is averaging 3.43 goals per game for the season, sixth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.59 goals a game (25th).
Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.41 times a game on average, 32nd in the league, and the Devils are allowing opponents to score 2.71 goals per game (6th).
New Jersey averages more shots per game (34.4) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth. Chicago’s average of 26.7 attempts ranks 31st. The Blackhawks’ 16.36% power play percentage is the fourth-worst in the league, while the Devils rank 17th with a conversion rate of 20.87%. In terms of defending power plays, New Jersey has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 82.16%, while Chicago is 20th at 76.28%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 87 points this season, Jack Hughes is the top skater for the Devils. He is among the league leaders with 40 goals (9th) and has added 47 assists.
In the net, Vanecek (30-10-4) is New Jersey’s top goaltender. He has a 2.47 GAA and a .910% save percentage.Max Domi and Patrick Kane lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 49 and 45 points, respectively.
Domi has 18 goals and 31 assists in 60 games, while Kane has 16 goals and 29 assists in 54 games. Alex Stalock (9-12-1) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 2.86.
He has a save percentage of .913%. Mrazek (8-21-3) has played the most games in net for the Blackhawks this season. He has a 3.63 GAA and a .895% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
New Jersey is 26-7-4 away from home this season. Chicago is seeking to snap a three-game home losing streak this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils -1.5 (-125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
