NHL Best Bets: Devils vs. Stars Game Picks

Two of the NHL’s top teams will face off tonight, with the New Jersey Devils paying a visit to the Dallas Stars.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

New Jersey Devils (+134) vs. Dallas Stars (-162) Total: 6 (O -112, U -110)

If you had polled fans heading into the regular season, they likely wouldn’t have had the Devils and Stars among the top teams in the NHL. Still, they’ve both been fantastic and are on track to being Stanley Cup contenders. These teams already met once in December, which saw the Stars pick up a 4-1 victory on the road. The Devils will look to return the favor tonight but enter as underdogs at +134 on the moneyline, compared to the Stars sitting as home favorites at -162. 

The Devils are playing slightly better hockey entering this matchup, posting a 7-2-1 record over their last ten games, while the Stars are 5-2-3 over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup, the visiting Devils are expected to continue riding Vitek Vanecek, while the Stars should do the same with Jake Oettinger. The Devils netminder has a 20-5-2 record with a .916 save percentage, while Oettinger is 21-7-6 with a .924 save percentage. This has all the makings of a premier goalie matchup between two of the top puck-stoppers.

Even though the Stars handled their business against the Devils earlier this season, New Jersey has been one of the NHL’s most dominant road teams, owning an 18-3-2 record as the visitors. With their excellent plus-money price of +134 on the moneyline, it’s hard to ignore that number.

Best Bet: Devils moneyline (+134)

There are many positives about both teams regarding their underlying numbers, which back up these teams as legitimate contenders. These franchises sit in the top ten in goals scored and allowed per game. The Devils have scored six or more goals in three of their last five games, while the Stars have seen that in just one of their previous five contests. With the goalie matchup and the five goals we saw them combine for earlier, there’s likely some value in backing the under six at -110. 

Best Bet: Under six (-110) 

There’s a lot of high-powered goal-scoring talent in this matchup and several player props to consider. One player likely undervalued on tonight’s slate is center Nico Hischier, a two-way force for New Jersey. The Devils leader has tallied 46 points in 47 games, including 21 goals. The Devils’ captain has been a big part of their offense in their top six and on the powerplay. Hischier is currently priced at a palpable +220 to score, and there’s definite value in backing him to light the lamp. 

Best Prop: Nico Hischier to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+220) 

The post NHL Best Bets: Devils vs. Stars Game Picks appeared first on NESN.com.