We have an action packed night in the NHL with 10 games lined up. Two Stanley Cup favorites face off tonight when the Hurricanes travel to Tampa. However, the game I like tonight is the Florida Panthers taking on the New Jersey Devils.
Florida Panthers @ New Jersey Devils
| Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total | |
| Florida Panthers | -135 | -140 | -1.5 (+170) | o6.0 (-110) |
| New Jersey Devils | +115 | +120 | +1.5 (-190) | u6.0 (-110) |
Face-Off: 7:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN +
The Florida Panthers are coming off their first loss in regulation last night to the New York Rangers. The Panthers played well and won the expected goal battle, 3.9 to 2.6. However, the difference came in net with Spencer Knight having a -1.4 GSAx and Igor Shersterkin having a +0.9 GSAx. Florida will look to rebound tonight against a New Jersey team that has been inconsistent all year.
The Panthers are currently averaging the second most goals per game with 4.08. They also have one of the best xGoals % in the NHL at 53.74%. Florida has not had any trouble finding the back of the net all year. In the points department, they are led by Aleksander Barkov, who has 13 points on the year. Their Power Play has also been great this year as they convert on 25% of their man up advantages.
Florida has also been solid defensively giving up the third fewest goals per game (2.25). However, the main star of the show has been Sergei Bobrovsky who leads the NHL with a +14.4 GSAx! He’s been incredible this year and one of the main reasons for the Panthers early season success. He’s currently dealing with an injury so Spencer Knight has been confirmed the starter for back to back games. While Knight hasn’t been great this year, I like him to try and get his game back against the Devils offense.
The New Jersey Devils have had a wild ride to start the season but, still have a 5-3-2 record. The Devils have been bitten by the injury bug early with Jack Hughes and Miles Wood being placed on IR. Having these two out hurts this squad who’s only averaging 2.5 goals per game. To make matters worse both are on the Power Play that ranks 30th in the NHL.
The good news for the Devils is that they will get back their top blueliner in Dougie Hamilton tonight. Hamilton returns from a lower body injury after missing two games. New Jersey will also get back their starting goaltender in Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood only started one game this season where he had a 3.00 GAA and a .897 SV%. There’s really no telling how he’ll perform here coming off an injury.
PICK: FLORIDA PANTHERS (-140)
This sets up for a trap game with the Panthers coming off their first loss. However, the Panthers are a much more dominant team especially on offense. The Devils have been inconsistent and face a tough Panthers defense that matches up well. I also don’t love Blackwood making his second start of the year against a top offense in the NHL.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
