Take A Shot On The Home Dog Tonight

Devils vs. Blues, 8:00 ET

Yesterday was a bad day for the pocketbook. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes you don't win a single bet and you wonder how it is even possible. Going undefeated almost feels rare, but the days you lose feel like you remember them forever. Maybe that's our brain's way of telling us we need a break or that we should give up. But, then we would be quitters. We aren't quitters. The book took some money from us, now we need to take it back. That's what we are going to do in this NHL match between the Devils and Blues.

The Devils come into this game with one of the best records in the NHL at 6-2-1. They also haven't lost, or tied, a game on the road this season. This isn't much of a surprise as they've been one of the better teams in the league for a while now. The hot start is certainly encouraging though and youngster, Jack Hughes looks great. He put together almost a full season last year and was just short of 100 points. This year, through nine games, he already has 20 points. While 75% of those points have come from assists, it is still very encouraging to see him skating and playing at a high level. As of right now, the expectation is that the Devils will start Akira Schmid in goal. This would be his fourth start. He was pulled after a really poor performance against the Capitals in his last outing. In fact, he has already allowed 10 goals in just 140 minutes on the ice. Against the Capitals, he only faced eight shots and allowed nearly half of them to find the back of the net. I would expect him to perform much better today. He faced the Blues last year and allowed four goals in a 5-3 loss.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 13: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils looks on against the Washington Capitals during the first period of the game at Capital One Arena on April 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The Blues have not been hot or consistent to start this season. They are sitting at 3-4-1 in the early going, but I can see them improving rather quickly. The offense has left a lot to be desired lately, but their defense for the most part has been respectable. Against a softer goaltender in Schmid, you would expect the team to get a few more shots passed him. For the season, the Blues are only allowing 2.88 goals per game, which is very good, but they are only scoring 1.75 goals per game. It doesn't take a math wizard to figure out the cause for their record. Jordan Binnington is likely to be in the net for the Blues tonight and has the unenviable task of stopping the Devils. He started the season without allowing more than two goals in any of his first three games. On the road though, he allowed three, five, and four in his last three games. All of those contests resulted in losses for the Blues. He was in net for two games last season against the Devils and the Blues won both of those.

The Blues have the rest advantage and they have probably the better goalie in this game. It isn't a lock as the Devils are certainly the better squad overall, but I think the Blues can come out victorious in this one. The offense doesn't give you a lot of confidence, but again, coming home, having the rest, and having a better keeper (at least if Schmid starts) the Blues have a real shot. I'll grab them at +130 and hope they can pull it out.

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