Two teams that each spend an average 13+ minutes per game in the penalty box, the New Jersey Devils and the Vancouver Canucks collide at Rogers Arena in a cross-continent matchup. The match gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 1, and it can be seen live on Sportsnet 360.
New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver (-120) is currently favored over New Jersey (+100) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
New Jersey is 8-2 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Seven of its outings have gone over the total, while three have gone under and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Devils team is 4-0 SU on the road.
New Jersey has impressively found the net on 27.5 percent of its power play chances so far. That’s a noticeable step forward from last season, when it was ranked 22nd in the league by converting on 17.5 percent of its extra-man advantages. Its penalty kill has held firm year-over-year, as the team has gone from successfully defending 79.6 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 23rd overall last season) to 79.6 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, New Jersey has been sent to the penalty box 5.4 times per game this season, a number that’s regressed noticeably from last year’s 4.0 penalties per game. After serving an average of 10.0 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for a taxing 13.4 minutes per outing this year.
With a .909 save percentage and 31.4 saves per game, Cory Schneider (6-1) has been the top option in goal for New Jersey this year. If head coach John Hynes decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Keith Kinkaid (3-1), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average this year.
Taylor Hall and Will Butcher will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Devils. Hall (13 points) is up to three goals and 10 assists, and has recorded multiple points in two different games. Butcher has zero goal and 11 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in six games).
On the other bench, Vancouver is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. Six of its outings have gone under the total, while five have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 2-4 SU as the home team this year.
Vancouver has converted on 16.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver players have been whistled for penalties 4.5 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.2, the fourth-lowest mark in the league. After serving an average of 7.9 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for a taxing 13.1 minutes per contest this year.
Jacob Markstrom has denied 24.3 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom has three wins, five losses, and two OT losses to his name and has maintained a .911 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Brock Boeser (two goals, seven assists).
New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The under has hit in three of Vancouver’s last five outings.
- The Devils are 5-0 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Canucks are 2-2 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- New Jersey skaters ranked 25th last year with 5.7 takeaways per game, but the team seems to be applying more pressure on opposing offenses to begin this season. It’s up to a ranking of fifth through 10 games with a whopping 8.9 takeaways per contest.
