Offense meets defense at Prudential Center on Tuesday as the explosive New Jersey Devils (45-18-7) host the suffocating Minnesota Wild (40-22-8).Minnesota is coming off a high-scoring 5-3 win over the Capitals on Sunday. The Wild committed eight penalties in the game, conceding two power play goals.
Matt Boldy was the top goalscorer for the Wild with a hat trick. Marc-Andre Fleury saved 33 of 36 shots in the win. New Jersey beat the Lightning 5-2 on Sunday. Jesper Bratt scored a hat trick to lead the Devils. Vitek Vanecek saved 22 of 24 shots.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Wild won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 (SO) victory in February, their fourth straight win against New Jersey. Ryan Hartman scored Minnesota’s only goal. Tomas Tatar led New Jersey with two goals. Filip Gustavsson got the win, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 2.90 goals per game for the season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Devils team that is allowing just 2.67 goals a game (3rd).
Meanwhile, New Jersey has found the net 3.49 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and will be looking to break through the Wild’s stout defense, which is holding opponents to 2.67 goals per game (3rd). New Jersey averages more shots a game (34.4) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth.
Minnesota has been up to the task of stopping shots, ranking No. 3 with a team save percentage of .917%. The Wild’s 22.37% power play percentage ranks 12th in the league, while the Devils are 19th with a conversion rate of 20.62%. When it comes to penalty killing, New Jersey has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 82.18%, while Minnesota is 13th at 80.27%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 74 points this season, Kirill Kaprizov is the top skater for the Wild. He is among the league leaders with 39 goals (8th) and has added 35 assists. In the net, Gustavsson (17-9-5) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.08 GAA, second-best in the league, and a .929% save percentage, also second-best. Fleury (23-13-3) leads the Wild in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.83 and a save percentage of .908%.
Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 81 points. He has 37 goals and 44 assists. Vanecek (29-8-3) is the top goalie for New Jersey with a goals against average of 2.51. He has a save percentage of .909%.
HOME AND AWAY
Minnesota is 18-11-5 on the road this season. New Jersey is 19-13-3 at Prudential Center this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
