A pair of teams riding winning streaks, the New Jersey Devils and the Anaheim Ducks clash at the Honda Center in an East-West matchup. The puck drops at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 18, and it’ll air live on MSG Network.
New Jersey Devils at Anaheim Ducks Odds
Anaheim (-170) is currently favored over New Jersey (+150), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-130 under, +110 over).
New Jersey is 37-34 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 71 regular season contests, 34 of its games have gone over the total, while another 34 have gone under and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Devils team is 19-17 SU on the road.
New Jersey has converted on 20.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the sixth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.8 percent of all penalties.
The Devils, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 2.9 per game over its past ten outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .912 save percentage and 28.5 saves per game, Cory Schneider (18-20-6) has been the top option in goal for New Jersey this season. If head coach John Hynes decides to rest him, however, New Jersey may roll with Keith Kinkaid (19-12-2), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average this year.
The visiting Devils have relied heavily on Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier this year. Hall (76 points) is up to 31 goals and 45 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 23 different games. Hischier has 16 goals and 30 assists to his credit (and has logged at least one point in 32 games).
Over on the other bench, Anaheim is 36-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 72 regular season contests, 43 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 21-15 SU as the home team this season.
The Ducks have converted on just 17.1 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fourth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anaheim skaters have been called for penalties 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five contests. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
John Gibson has stopped 29.4 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Ducks. Gibson has 28 wins, 25 losses, and seven OT losses and has recorded a 2.47 goals against average and a .926 save percentage this year.
Rickard Rakell (30 goals, 30 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Ducks.
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Ducks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Anaheim is 4-7 in games decided by a shootout this season while New Jersey is 5-4 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Anaheim’s last five outings.
Over New Jersey’s last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
The Ducks this season have registered the sixth-most hits per game (24.2).
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