Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Blackhawks versus the Devils? The puck drops at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on NBCS. The game will be played at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 6.5 goals, and the Devils are favored to win at home vs. the Blackhawks.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS NEW JERSEY DEVILS BETTING PICK

The Pick: New Jersey Devils -1.5

This game will be played at Prudential Center at 7:00 ET on Friday, January 5th.

WHY BET THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS:

  • Despite being 1.5 goal underdogs, we predict the Blackhawks to come out on top with a final score of 4-3.
  • We like the Blackhawks on the moneyline (+291)
  • The Blackhawks are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Is a Road Win Possible for Chicago?

This season, the Blackhawks have a mark of 11-25-2. When going on the road, Chicago has a record of 4-16-1 record, while they are 7-9-1 at their home arena. This record has them sitting 8th in the Western Central division and 15th in the Western conference.

In terms of the puck line, Chicago are 17-21. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 7-14, while their overall home performance is 10-7. This season, Chicago’s games have an average of 6.1 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.3. The Blackhawks come in with an over/under performance of 16-20-2.

Through their last three road games, Chicago has an puck line record of just 0-3. However, their overall record was 0-3 while averaging 0 goals per game.

The Blackhawks come into the game scoring an average of 2.3 goals per game, putting them 30th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 30th in the league. In terms of the Blackhawks’ offense during power plays, they are 28th in power play goals and 22nd in shorthanded goals.

Chicago’s leading goal scorer is Connor Bedard. So far this season, he has 15 goals, placing him 38th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 18 assists so far.

The Devils’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 13th in takeaways and an average of 7.2 takeaways per contest. They hold 29th place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.2 goals given up per game.

Goalie Arvid Söderblom gets the start and has made 15 starts this season. His record at this point is 2-12, and his save percentage is 0.6078431372549019%.

Can New Jersey Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

So far this season, the Devils have an overall record of 20-14-2. On the road, New Jersey is 12-6-0 and 8-8-2 at home. At the moment, they hold the 5th spot in the Eastern Metropolitan division and are ranked 9th in the Eastern conference.

Regarding the puck line, New Jersey comes in with a 10-26 record. On the road against the puck line, they are 9-9, while their home record is 1-17. For the season, New Jersey’s games have finished with an average of 7.1 goals per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 6.5. Overall, the Devils have an over/under record of 23-12-1.

In their last three home games, New Jersey has averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 3. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-1 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.

For their offensive performance, the Devils come in averaging 3.5 goals per game this season, which is 7th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 18th in the league. This year, the Devils have recorded a 15-7 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. For games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 5-6 record.

New Jersey’s leading goal scorer is Tyler Toffoli. So far this season, he has 15 goals, placing him 36th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Toffoli has 12 assists this season.

Coming into the game, the Devils’ defense is 13th in takeaways at 7.2 takeaways per contest. Overall, they are giving up 3.2 goals per game which is 29th in the NHL.

Heading into this matchup vs. Chicago, goalie Vitek Vanecek has started 21 games in this season. His current record is 13-7, and his save percentage stands at 0.7549019607843137%.