Devils Will Dominate Struggling Rangers

Devils vs. Rangers, 7:00 ET

I can't tell you how long it has been since I put out a hockey play, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective. I haven't played many hockey games because I prefer writing about (and betting on) basketball, and the smattering of football available at the moment. As those seasons wind down, they hockey plays will ramp up. I've been doing fairly well for the season, but did have a drought before getting a few wins and then taking a break. I'm jumping back into the pond… a frozen one I suppose… with a game between the Devils and Rangers.

The Devils are putting together a nice season to this point with a 16-9-2 record and a 10-4-0 road record. New Jersey comes into this contest having won three of their past four games. They are coming off of a loss to Washington and also are losers of two of their past three. I can't say I take much away from the smaller sample of games, but it does give you a bit of an indication of how the team is currently playing. More on that in a moment. For the season, the Devils are finding the back of the net about three and a half times per game, while only allowing 2.78 goals against per game. I think this is fairly sustainable over the course of the year as they are also taking three more shot super game than their opponents. Lately they've scored at least five goals in three of their past four games, and at least three goals in four of their past five. I'd expect that Jacob Markstrom will be the netminder tonight. Markstrom's numbers have been very good this campaign, going 11-6-1 with a 2.62 goals against per game average. He also has a .902 save percentage, good for 27th in the league. He has allowed at least three goals in both of his past games, and hasn't faced a ridiculous number of shots, but overall has put together a good year.

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 1: Goaltender Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers skates the ice during a break in the action against the Florida Panthers in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 1, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Rangers are also owners of a nice record at this point, sporting a 13-9-1 record, but just 6-4-1 at home. While neither of these numbers are all that impressive, it is always nice to be on the right side of .500. Their play of late is my true concern. Over the past five games, the Rangers are just 1-4. None of those losses came in overtime, and they've actually lost five straight (officially five of their past six games). In those five losses, they scored more than two goals just once. In fact, over their past 10 games, they've only scored more than three goals once. This is a bit concerning for a team that is averaging 3.26 goals per game. They are doing a decent job, typically holding their opponents down, but season averages probably should've indicated that the losses were coming. For the year they are allowing just 2.83 goals per game, not much worse than the Devils, but they are also allowing almost 33 shots against per game, three more than they take. At the time of writing this, I don't know exactly who will be the goalie, but they have two good options with both goalies having save percentages over .900.

I think we need to take the Devils in this game. They've found a lot of comfort on the road ice and look like they can continue it here against a New York team that is struggling at the moment. I like the way the Devils get up and down the ice, and they are relentless with their offense. It would surprise me a bit to see the Rangers score over 3 goals in this game, so maybe that's a look you like. For me, I'll take the Devils at -120 to win the game. 

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