The New Jersey Devils (16-11-1) visit the Boston Bruins (16-13-0) in a Saturday battle at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The opening scrum for the puck will be at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Devils vs. Bruins odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; split 2-2 last season
New Jersey was shut out 3-0 (Over 5.5) by the -137 Vegas Golden Knights Friday, and the Devils are playing their third game in the last 4 days. The Devils have failed to score in 2 straight games and have lost 4 straight.
The Bruins last played Thursday, earning a 5-2 (Over 5.5) triumph over the -141 St. Louis Blues. Boston allowed 39 shots on goal but just the 2 netfinders; the club had allowed 13 goals over its previous 3 games.
Devils at Bruins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:35 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Devils -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Bruins +110 (bet $100 to win $110)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils -1.5 (+180) | Bruins +1.5 (-220)Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)Devils at Bruins projected goalies
Jake Allen (8-5-0, 2.48 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Jeremy Swayman (11-7-0, 2.80 GAA, .910 SV%)
Allen would be playing in his first game since Monday when he allowed all 5 goals in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The veteran has filed inconsistent game-to-game numbers over recent weeks but still owns a fine .919 SV% since Nov. 8.
Swayman was last between the pipes Tuesday when he coughed up 5 goals in 44 minutes against the Detroit Red Wings. That effort marked the 27-year-old’s first misstep in more than a month. He had registered a steady .934 SV% across 10 November games.
Devils at Bruins picks and predictionsPrediction
Bruins 4, Devils 3
Over the last 2 seasons, the Devils have gone 5-12-1 on no rest.
From an analytics standpoint, both clubs have been shaky over recent weeks. But Boston has a strong power play (25.3%), and it’s one that has not gotten much of a chance to contribute lately (fewer than 2 chances per game over the club’s last 5). New Jersey has spent a lot of time in the box of late, so that extra-man juice may well vault the Bruins to some momentum in this one.
Swayman owns a home-ice save percentage of .919 this season. For his career, he has logged a .912 SV% at home. And he owns a .912 SV% across 6 career games against the Devils.
BACK BOSTON (+110).
No interest; PASS.
The Over has cashed in 3 straight series meetings, and in 2 of those games the Devils and Bruins combined for 9 goals.
The last 2 times the Devils played in the back half of a 2-day double, they yielded 4 (Nov. 2) and 5 goals (Nov. 29), respectively. The New Jersey penalty kill has filed diminishing returns over recent weeks (70% since Nov. 10).
Both clubs have power plays that rank in the league’s top third.
Boston’s 5-on-5 defensive numbers suggest the club had been fortunate to allow just 3.12 goals per game through its first 25 contests. (And over that stretch, the Bruins scored 3.12 per game as well yet were still above .500.) Lately, that Boston defense has shown some warts: it has yielded 32.5 shots per game since Nov. 8. And when it comes to overall high-danger looks allowed at 5-on-5, Boston ranks in the NHL’s bottom 5.
The OVER 5.5 (-115) is the leverage side here.
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