2011 NHL Hockey Free Predictions: Penguins vs Devils
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Pittsburgh Penguins (29-14-4) at New Jersey Devils (13-29-3)
Date/Time: Thursday, January 20, 2011, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Broadcast: NHLN-US (HD), FS-P (HD), MSG PLUS (HD)
Penguins vs. Devils Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Spread: New Jersey +115
Moneyline:
Over/Under: 5 (+120)
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What once was a game to circle on your calendar has become just another ho-hum affair between one contender and one absolute pretender. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils renew acquaintances on Thursday night in what is a full night of NHL action.
The injury ravaged Pittsburgh Penguins got another blow on Wednesday when they found out that they would be playing without Evgeni Malkin in addition to Sidney Crosby. This news comes on the heels of the Pens seemingly adjusting to life without Sid. Winners of three straight games, the Pens will try to knock off an old nemesis that has been playing the best hockey of their season so far.
The Penguins 5th ranked offense will be forced to rely on Jordan Staal on Thursday which doesn’t seem all that bad. He has a goal in his last three games and has recorded six points over that span. He, Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy will be front and center against Martin Brodeur who has quietly put together a 3-0-1 stretch.
There is a real possibility that the Pens may give Marc-Andre Fleury the night off on Thursday in favor of Brent Johnson who is 1-0-1 in his last two starts with a 1.14 goals against average. The Penguins currently rank 2nd in the NHL in goals against (2.3 per game) and boast one of the more effective backup goaltenders in the NHL.
The New Jersey Devils have taken until half way through the season to look like they actually care what is going on. At present, they are dead last in the NHL in goals for (2.0 goals per game) and 24th in goals against (3.1 per game). Nobody on offense has lived up to expectation and the defense has been a colossal disappointment. However, thing appear to be looking up in Jersey which is not all that hard to do.
Travis Zajac has four points in three games, Ilya Kovalchuk is finally earning his paycheck with three goals and two assists in four games and Patrick Elias has five points in four games. The brutal offense has scored 18 goals in the last four games – seriously!
Martin Brodeur is finally starting to come around as well. He appears to have shaken his season long slump and has gone 3-0-1 in his last four games with a 2.09 goals against average. If he is going well, the Devils suddenly become a competitive team.
Betting Prediction: The Pittsburgh Penguins are an incredible 14-5-3 on the road this season and have won 10 of their last 14 games away from home. The Pens are 20-8 in their last 28 games overall. The New Jersey Devils are 7-13-2 at home this season but have won three of their last four games.
This game could go either way. The Penguins could rally around their injured stars and continue their season mastery of the Devils or they could simply fold their tents and wait until their stars return before they turn it around. With the New Jersey Devils finally playing a decent brand of hockey and with Martin Brodeur playing at a high level once again, the latter is the more likely to happen. The Devils caught the Penguins at exactly the right time.
Pick: New Jersey Devils
