The New Jersey Devils (-185) welcome the Ottawa Senators (+155) at Prudential Center on Saturday. The total is 6.5 (O: -115, U: -105)Ottawa (35-32-5) is coming off a high-scoring 7-2 win over the Lightning on Thursday.
The Senators committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Alex DeBrincat and Brady Tkachuk both scored twice for the Senators.
Mads Sogaard saved an impressive 27 of 29 shots (.931%) in the win.New Jersey (45-19-8) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 5-4 loss against the Sabres yesterday. Jack Hughes scored twice to lead the Devils. Akira Schmid started in the loss and saved only four of seven shots (.571%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Devils have won both games between the teams this season, including a 5-1 victory in their most recent meeting in November. Yegor Sharangovich and Michael McLeod each had two points (1G 1A) to lead New Jersey. Derick Brassard scored Ottawa’s only goal. Schmid got the win, saving 25 of 26 shots (.961%).
FACING OFF
Ottawa is averaging 3.14 goals per game for the season, 18th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Devils team that is allowing only 2.69 goals a game (5th).
Meanwhile, New Jersey has found the net 3.46 times a game on average, sixth in the league, and the Senators are allowing opponents to score 3.22 goals per game (18th).
New Jersey averages more shots (34.5) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. With an average of 33.2 attempts, Ottawa ranks seventh.
Expect several power play opportunities for the Devils, as the Senators are averaging 4.62 penalties per game, second-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 11.49 penalty minutes a game ranks fourth-highest.
The home team has been penalized 3.35 times a game (3rd-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.58 minutes (3rd-fewest). The Senators’ 24.25% power play percentage ranks seventh in the league, while the Devils are 19th with a conversion rate of 20.50%. In terms of penalty killing, Ottawa has the league’s seventh-ranked PK% at 82.69%, while New Jersey is ninth at 82.13%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Tim Stuetzle and Tkachuk have been the top skaters for the Senators this season with 79 and 74 points. In the net, Cam Talbot (15-14-1) is Ottawa’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.85 GAA and a .905% save percentage.
Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 84 points. He has 39 goals (9th) and 45 assists in 68 games. Vitek Vanecek (29-9-4) is the top goalie for New Jersey with a goals against average of 2.49. He has a save percentage of .909%.
HOME AND AWAY
Ottawa is 15-19-2 away from home this season. New Jersey is looking to avoid a fourth consecutive home defeat this season. Meanwhile, the Devils are 8-2 without a day off and 5-1 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Senators are 5-2 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
