The New Jersey Devils travel to Anaheim to face the struggling Ducks. New Jersey will be in battle with the rest of the Metropolitan Division for playoff spots. On the other hand, the Ducks are currently in the running for Connor Bedard in a season that is all but finished.
There are only three games to choose from to make our NHL picks today. As such, we’ll review the stats, trends, and odds and make our Devils vs Ducks prediction and NHL picks for Friday’s online sports betting ticket.
Recent Scores
This Devils vs. Ducks game on the NHL schedule today is the second and final head-to-head matchup on the Anaheim Ducks schedule between these two teams this season.
The New Jersey Devils won the first game 4-2 on October 18th, 2022. Mackenzie Blackwood made 18 saves for the Devils in the victory. Similarly, Anthony Stolarz made 37 saves in a losing effort for the Ducks.
The Ducks got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals by Jakob Silfverberg before the Devils scored four consecutive goals, getting goals from Ondrej Palat Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton, and Dawson Mercer.
In their last NHL matchups, the Devils defeated the Metropolitian-leading Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on January 10th, while the Ducks lost 6-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on January 11th.
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Information
New Jersey Devils (26-12-3) vs. Anaheim Ducks (12-26-4)
Location of the game: Honda Center. Anaheim, CA.
Date: Friday, 13th January. 10:00 PM ET.
How to watch: ESPN+ | Regional Broadcast Partners
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Analysis
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils enter Friday night tied for second in the Metropolitan Division NHL standings with the New York Rangers. The Devils have a 26-12-3 record and have won two straight games and three of their last five games.
In their last five games, the Devils hit the over in four games, while three ended in at least a 1.5-goal spread.
The under is 4-0 in New Jersey’s last four games against teams with losing records, and the Devils are 8-0 against the Pacific Division, but the over is 5-0 in New Jersey’s last five games following a win.
However, while the Devils are 1-6 in the last seven games in Anaheim, they are 4-1 in the last five games overall.
New Jersey is ranked sixth in NHL stats, averaging 3.4 goals per game. The powerplay is ranked 23rd overall, converting at 20%.
Defensively, New Jersey is among the league’s best. The Devils are ranked fourth in the league, giving up an average of 2.6 goals per game. The penalty-killing unit is ranked eighth overall and operating at 82.2% efficiency.
Jack Hughes has stepped into the spotlight as a budding superstar and leads the Devils in scoring with 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists).
Vitek Vanecek (16-5-2, 2.37 GAA, .913 SV%) has started the last two games for New Jersey and is the probable starter for Friday night’s matchup.
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are in the running for the number one overall draft pick, ranked last in the Pacific Division and 30th overall in the NHL, with a 12-26-4 record. The Ducks have lost their last two games. They get demolished by the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins and have lost three of the last five games.
In their last five games, the Ducks hit the over three times, while four ended with at least a 1.5-goal spread.
Fun fact: the Ducks are 12-45 in the last 57 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600. The under is 4-1 in the Ducks’ last five games following a home loss of three or more goals. The over is 7-2 in the last nine games after playing on one day’s rest.
The Ducks are ranked last in the NHL, giving up 4.1 goals per game, while the penalty-killing unit is ranked 30th overall, operating at 71.3%.
Offensively, the Ducks haven’t fared much better this year. Anaheim is ranked 31st in the NHL, averaging 2.3 goals per game, and has the worst powerplay in the league, converting at 14.9%.
With Trevor Zegras possibly missing tonight’s matchup, Troy Terry leads the Ducks in NHL player stats with 36 points (12 goals, 21 assists) and will have his hands full trying to help Anaheim generate some sort of offense.
John Gibson (7-18-3, 4.07 GAA, .896 SV%) is having the worst season of his career and is the likely starter for the Ducks on Friday night.
Updates
Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras is listed as day-to-day on the NHL injury report.
New Jersey has left-winger Miles Wood listed as day-to-day. All other potential injuries to report aren’t new, and those players are on the injured reserve lists.
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Preview
Before we can make any Devils vs Ducks prediction, we need to check the NHL odds and betting records.
Unsurprisingly, looking at the New Jersey Devils odds, you’ll find the Devils are the heavy favorite on the Moneyline, with odds listed from -275 to -286. As usual, the struggling Ducks are the underdog, with odds between +220 and +235.
New Jersey has a 26-15 straight-up Moneyline record, while Anaheim has a 12-30 record straight-up.
Anaheim is listed at +1.5 on the puck line spread, with odds between -102 and -115. As the Moneyline favorite, New Jersey is listed at -1.5 on the puck line spread, with odds from -105 to -120.
The Devils have a 23-18 record against the spread (ATS), while the Ducks are 17-25 ATS.
The total goals line is set to 6.5, with the over listed from -109 to -118 odds, while the under is listed from -105 to -110 odds.
After reviewing the odds and stats, Anaheim will need a special performance tonight if they are going to defeat the potentially playoff-bound Devils. Everything is slated toward a Devils win on the Moneyline. The real question is:
Can the Ducks produce enough offense to cover the spread or help this game hit the over?
Moreover, the over is 9-3-1 in the last 13 games in Anaheim, while the favorite is 16-5 in the last 21 games.
New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Prediction
Our first Devils vs Ducks prediction is to take the Devils to win on the Moneyline. The Ducks are awful, and unless New Jersey plays down to Anaheim’s level, the Devils will win this game.
Our second Devils vs Ducks prediction is to take the Devils to cover the 1.5-goal spread. We can’t justify placing a wager on the Ducks to cover the spread when they average 2.3 goals per game.
Finally, this game is going to hit the under. We expect a 4-1 or 4-2 New Jersey win. New Jersey will do their part of the scoring, but with Zegras potentially out, the Ducks will struggle more than normal to score. Take the under.
NHL picks: New Jersey Devils ML, New Jersey -1.5, Under
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