Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Devils vs Penguins NHL Odds
Looking for New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Devils taking on the Penguins on Friday December 23rd at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions.
(20-10-1) New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (13-11-4)
Date: Friday December 23rd
Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA
NHL Hockey Moneyline Odds: OFF
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds: OFF as of 1:35AM ET Friday.
NHL Betting Total: OFF
Live NHL Odds
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For TodayClick here to view… NHL ATS Stats & Expert NHL Betting Insight!
The Penguins, at 45 points, are in a tight battle for top spot in the Metro division with rivals, the New York Rangers.
Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, they are not part of this race as they sit 7th in the same Metro division with just 31 points on the year and have lost six straight.
New Jersey Devils
New Jersey has been on a terrible skid of late, having lost six straight and 10 of their last 12. Nothing really seems to be working for NJ, between rotating goaltenders, line combinations or otherwise.
Michael Cammalleri is their leading goal scorer, though this is just with nine goals. Granted, star winger sits at eight and did miss eight games due to injury.
Hall has been their best point producer on a point-per-game basis, with 20 points in 23 games for a 0.87 rate. He trails only Travis Zajac, and his respective 23 points, in the Devils overall point race.
Check out the free sports picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
The defensive unit is led by Damon Severson, who has tallied the most points of any Devils’ blueliner with 13 and has logged the second-most average TOI amongst the group.
He does, however, own a team worst minus-16 rating on the year.
The goaltending position was supposed to be the strength for New Jersey entering the year, with the incumbent Cory Schneider returning.
Schneider has had a rough season so far though, recording a 2.84 GAA and a .906 SV%. His back-up, Keith Kinkaid, has bested those marks with a 2.70 and .922, respectively.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Apparently Pittsburgh star, Sidney Crosby, is going for the Cy Young this season, considering his 21-13 split.
This split is his goal-to-assist ratio though, as he’s been lighting the lamp often and efficiently this season, scoring 21 times in just 26 games with a 25.0 shooting percentage.
While Crosby is experiencing a tremendous season, he isn’t the only Penguins’ forward to do so. Other stars, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, have each had strong years. Malkin is tied for the team-lead in points with Crosby at 34, and Kessel trails the two by just three points.
The defensive unit for Pittsburgh took a bit hit when Kris Letang went down due to injury. Letang is likely out for about a month with lower body injury, yet still sits 4th in team scoring with his 19 points in just 25 games played.
Justin Schultz will steps in on the first powerplay unit in Letang’s absence, and is a solid candidate to pad his point total that currently sits at 18 on the year.
[dfads params=’groups=234&limit=1&return_javascript=1′]
Matt Murray has taken over the starting role in net this season for the Pens, and his numbers suggest this was the right course of action.
Murray owns a 1.84 GAA and .938 SC% on the year with a 12-2-1 record, which are vastly superior to his predecessor-turned-back-up’s, Marc-Andre Fleury.
NHL Betting Trends:
- The Devils sit 25th overall in goals per game at 2.3
- New Jersey is 4-11-5 on the road
- New Jersey has a total goal differential of minus-19 this year
- Crosby leads the league in points per game this year with 1.31
- Pittsburgh is 13-2-2 at home
- Pittsburgh has a total goal differential of plus-19 on the year
Free New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Hockey Prediction:
It’s tough to see the Devils curbing their losing streak in Pittsburgh, facing off against a cup-contending team that outmatches them at every spot on the ice.
NJ is 4-11-5 on the road, whereas Pittsburgh is 13-2-2 at home, so everything points to another New Jersey loss.
4* Free NHL Betting Pick: There’s no line yet. Check back later for a free ATS, ML or O/U pick. Final score prediction posted below.
Based on how Pittsburgh has been scoring at will and the struggles that the Devils’ defense and goaltending have endured, I expect the Pens to cover the spread on home ice.
NHL Free Score Prediction: New Jersey-1 – Pittsburgh-4
If you’re looking for more NHL picks like this New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NHL predictions on the blog during the entire 2016 NHL season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NHL Hockey picks!
CappersPicks.com has Stanley Cup odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NHL lines up for early games as well.