The New Jersey Devils (44-17-6) play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning (40-22-6) at Prudential Center on Thursday. The teams face off in their second straight game against each other. Tampa Bay defeated the Devils 4-1 on Tuesday, their third straight win against New Jersey.
Four players found the net for the Lightning. Brandon Hagel scored and provided two assists to lead the team in scoring. Damon Severson was the only player to score for the Devils. Andrei Vasilevskiy saved an impressive 22 of 23 shots (.956%) in the win.
FACING OFF
Tampa Bay is averaging 3.46 goals per game for the season, sixth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Devils team that is allowing only 2.66 goals a game (5th). Meanwhile, New Jersey has found the net 3.49 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 3.01 goals per game (15th).
New Jersey averages more shots/game (34.3) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. With an average of 32.2 attempts, Tampa Bay ranks 13th.Power play opportunities ought to be plentiful for the Devils, as the Lightning are averaging 4.49 penalties per game, fourth-most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 11.88 penalty minutes a game ranks second-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.36 times a game (3rd-fewest in the league) for an average of 7.67 minutes (4th-fewest).
The Lightning’s 25.42% power play percentage is the third-best in the league, while the Devils rank 18th with a conversion rate of 20.86%. When it comes to penalty killing, New Jersey has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 82.20%, while Tampa Bay is 14th at 79.91%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 96 points this season, third-most in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He is among the league leaders with 69 assists (2nd) and has added 27 goals of his own. In the net, Vasilevskiy (30-17-4) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender.
He has a 2.67 GAA and a .914% save percentage. Jack Hughes leads the Devils in scoring with 80 points. He has 37 goals (10th) and 43 assists. Vitek Vanecek (28-8-3) is the top goalie for New Jersey with a goals against average of 2.52. He has a save percentage of .908%.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 16-16-1 away from home this season. New Jersey is 19-13-2 at Prudential Center this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
