Little Caesars Arena will be hosting an Eastern Conference showdown as the Detroit Red Wings welcome the visiting New Jersey Devils. The matchup gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 1, and fans at home are able to catch it live on Fox Sports Detroit.
New Jersey Devils vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
New Jersey enters the matchup as the obvious favorite with a -155 moneyline. The line for Detroit sits at +135, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total sit at -105 for the over and -115 on the under.
New Jersey is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.6 units this year. That SU winning percentage, the second-best in the Metropolitan Division so far this season, is fairly close to what the team managed last season (44-38). Through nine regular season matches, Five of its games have gone over the total, while four have gone under. The Devils are 0-2 SU on the road in 2018-19.
The Devils have scored on 26.3 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That’s a nice improvement from last season, when they were ranked 14th in the NHL by converting on 21.0 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has also gotten stronger since last year, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 81.2 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 10th overall last season) to 83.3 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, the Devils have been penalized 4.9 times per game this season, a number that has regressed some from last year’s 3.8 penalties per game. After serving an average of 9.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 11.0 minutes per matchup this season.
With a .910 save percentage and 26.9 saves per game, Keith Kinkaid (5-4-1) has been the top option in goal for New Jersey this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team could roll with Cory Schneider (0-1 record, .833 save percentage, 4.01 goals against average).
Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Devils. Palmieri has 14 points via nine goals and five assists this season; Hall has two goals and 10 assists to his name through the early stages of the regular season.
Over on the other bench, Detroit is 3-9 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Six of its games have gone over the total, while five have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 1-4 SU at home this season.
The Red Wings have converted on just 24.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all penalties.
Red Wings players have been penalized 4.8 times per game this season, a number that’s risen some from the 3.7 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.0 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 11.4 minutes per outing this season.
Jimmy Howard has stopped 30.7 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has two wins, seven losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has recorded a mediocre 3.06 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this year.
The Wings offense will be led by Dylan Larkin (six goals, six assists).
New Jersey Devils vs. Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Under
