Flames vs. Devils Odds
| Flames Odds | +110 |
| Devils Odds | -130 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-125 / +105) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | MSGSN |
The New Jersey Devils have been one of the most fascinating stories in the NHL this season. They are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games, and they just went 3-0-0 on their west coast Canadian road trip. The Devils are arguably the hottest team in the league right now.
The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, had a rough loss last night on Long Island, where they saw a 3-1 lead evaporate in the third period before falling 4-3 in overtime against the Islanders.
The Flames now come into New Jersey looking for revenge, considering the fact that they lost to the Devils on home ice just three nights ago in overtime, as well.
Calgary is in a bit of a struggle right now, trying to break a five-game losing skid, and the Devils are going to come out buzzing as they are pumped to be back in front of their home crowd while playing their best brand of hockey.
props–container">
No Relief for Struggling Calgary Flames
Nothing seems to be going right for the Calgary Flames as of late. They had another disappointing loss last night in a game that they probably deserved to win.
The Flames will be playing the latter half of a back-to-back, and with this being their first one of the season, they might need some time to find their legs early on.
The Flames have a lot to improve upon since their performance has been nowhere near what it was last season. They are still getting used to the fact that they don't have Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. Nazem Kadri has looked solid in his first 11 games as a Flame, tallying six goals and five assists, but Jonathan Huberdeau hasn't quite found his footing yet and has only one goal and five assists.
Jacob Markstrom started in last night's contest for the Flames, so we will likely see Dan Vladar get the nod in this one. Vladar is just 1-2-0 in his three starts with a .865 SV% and a 3.81 GAA, so he hasn't necessarily been all that good.
No matter who gets the start in goal is almost irrelevant since the Flames are going to have to try to keep up with the pace of the Devils. In their last meeting, which was Saturday night, the Devils dominated play for most of the game. Calgary wasn't able to keep up last time, so it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments they make going into this one.
New Jersey Devils Firing on All Cylinders
The New Jersey Devils have become one of the most popular stories around the league. Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes have been absolutely electric so far.
These three are carrying the offensive play for the Devils, who rank fifth best in the league, scoring 3.67 goals per game. But what's most impressive about them is their 39.1 shots on goal per game and their 64.67% expected goals.
The Devils play at such a high pace due to their speed and skill. Right now they are sporting a six-game winning streak, and in this span, they have outscored their opponents 27-11, giving them the highest expected goals differential of +21.79.
Vitek Vanecek is expected to be the starting netminder for the Devils, and the new acquisition has fit in quite nicely. He is 5-1-0 with a .908 SV% and boasts a 2.21 GAA. He has been excellent.
The Devils have been putting together complete 60-minute efforts, and I expect another one from them tonight with the home crowd behind them.
Flames vs. Devils Pick
When these two teams met on Saturday night in Calgary, the Devils were the much better team, and you can just tell that they are playing with so much confidence and swagger. The Devils have been controlling the pace of play against all of their opponents, and teams are having a hard time keeping up with their speed and skill.
The Flames are probably feeling the complete opposite of the Devils right now since they just can't find a way to get a win and haven't played a full 60-minute game in quite a bit. This might be one of the very few times when the Devils also have the edge in goaltending if Vladar does get the start for Calgary.
Simply put, the Devils are such a hard team to play against right now. I love them in this spot, so I'll take New Jersey at +120 on the 3-way line with the belief they can get the win in regulation.
Pick: New Jersey Devils on 60-Minute Line (+120 at DraftKings)
