Welcome back to NHL Predictions with Last Word on Hockey. Here, we provide in-depth insight into the best matchups around the NHL. Today, we dive into the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils. Be sure to check out all our writers on NHL Predictions throughout the entire season.
NHL Predictions
Edmonton Oilers vs New Jersey Devils
Head-to-Head: Devils 1-0 Oilers
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EdT)
TV: ESPN+; Hulu; Sportsnet
The Devils and Oilers will do battle for the second time this season. These two squads met in Alberta back in early November. The Devils shut down the Oilers behind a 31-save shutout performance by Jake Allen. New Jersey got goals from Stephan Noesen, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier en route to a 3-0 victory. Edmonton was without Connor McDavid in that contest but will be humming at full strength in the rematch. It will be the Devils missing their star scorer after Jack Hughes underwent shoulder surgery last week and will miss the rest of the season.
Edmonton Needs an Oil Change
The Oilers have had a rough go of things since the start of February. They have lost 10 of their last 15 games and are starting to allow Vegas to pull away in the Pacific Division. Edmonton dropped a 3-2 contest to Buffalo on Monday night and are 3-6 since returning from the 4-Nations break.
Scoring is not a problem for Edmonton, which has Leon Draisaitl leading the league with 46 tallies and sits second with 97 points. McDavid hasn’t missed a beat this season despite missing time early in the year. He sits fourth in the league with 82 points.
Stuart Skinner has gotten the bulk of the start and has done an average job in net. His 2.88 GAA and .896 SV% aren’t ideal. Given the offensive threats up and down the lineup, even an average defensive game should be enough to keep the Oilers in it.
Devils Rejuvenated by Moves
The Devils are coming off a 5-3 win over Columbus on Tuesday night. The win kept them six points up in the Metro Division. New Jersey did not make a major splash at the deadline, but the additions of Brian Dumoulin, Daniel Sprong, Cody Glass, and Dennis Cholowski have provided a spark.
Bratt is coming off a three-point game and leads the team with 73 this year. Glass has stepped in nicely since being acquired on Friday. He found the back of the net in his debut and has three points in his first two games.
Scoring depth has been an issue for the Devils all season. The eight goals scored over the past two games have come from eight different scorers, so perhaps they can build some confidence on that.
Prediction
The Devils have been hammered by the injury bug, losing Jack Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Dougie Hamilton for the remainder of the season. The Oilers need to find their stride before they enter the postseason to defend their Western Conference championship. This will be a matchup of the Devils depth coming alive and the Oilers big threats continuing to be just that. The Devils could build off their home-ice advantage and capture their third straight victory.
Prediction: 4-3 New Jersey
Prop Bets of the Night
We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. The Oilers and Devils will do battle for the second time this season. The first meeting was a low-scoring shutout for the Devils. We don’t expect the same type of game this time. Dawson Mercer scored an empty net goal on Sunday and got multiple good looks on Tuesday. Consider taking him at +330 to be an anytime goal scorer. Connor McDavid missed the first matchup back in November. He is +1100 to score the first goal of the game. New Jersey falls behind 1-0 most nights, so that line might be intriguing to take.
Main photo by: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
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