Devils Take On The Penguins In Divisional Showdown | Devils vs Penguins | OSB
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins
By Sam Batz
The New Jersey Devils travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 18th to play their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins (5:30 PM EST, ESPN+). It’s the third meeting of the season between the Devils and Penguins. New Jersey won both of their matchups with Pittsburgh, on the road and at home. These two sides have a long history, and have played over 250 regular season games against each other all-time. In fact, Saturday will mark the 256th game between the Devils and Penguins.
New Jersey Devils Breakdown
The Devils are 35-14-5 through 54 games, and are currently 3rd in the East with 75 points. They are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games but are coming off a tough 2-4 loss against the St. Louis Blues in their latest matchup. The Devils average 3.43 goals per game and have lit the lamp 186 times, the 8th highest total in the NHL. New Jersey Center Jack Hughes leads the Devils with 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists). The 21-year old Hughes was the No. 1 draft pick in 2019, and this season, is averaging 3 goals, 1 assists, and 4 points against Pittsburgh.
New Jersey is 2-0-0 versus Pittsburgh this season. The Devils are averaging 3.0 goals for and 1.5 goals against when playing the Penguins. New Jersey Goaltender Vitek Vanecek will likely get the start against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Vanecek has a 23-5-3 record, averages 2.31 GA/G, and has a save percentage of 91.6% on the season. Against the Penguins, he’s averaging 1.47 GA/G, with a save percentage of 94.3%.
Pittsburgh Penguins Breakdown
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 27-17-9 and are currently 7th in the East with 63 points. The Penguins have a very loose grip on their playoff position, as there are just 5 points separating them and the 12th seed. Every game counts at this point in the season, and Pittsburgh can’t afford to lose many more. Unfortunately, they are winless (0-1-1) against their Saturday night opponents, but do have some good momentum after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Tuesday. The Penguins will try to make it back-to-back wins, as they play the New York Islanders the day before their meeting with the Devils.
The Penguins are led by 18-year veteran and NHL legend, Sidney Crosby. The 35-year old Crosby leads his team with 65 points (24 goals, 41 assists) and has been on the ice for every game so far this season. Either Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith will start in goal for the Penguins on Saturday. Jarry has a better record (16-5-5) than DeSmith (10-11-4) and a better save percentage (Jarry 92.1%; DeSmith 90.7%). But the two goaltenders have been interchangeable for the Penguins, with Jarry playing 27 games and DeSmith 26, so it’s difficult to predict which one will be between the sticks on any given day.
Devils vs. Penguins Odds
Betting odds courtesy of PointsBet:
|
Team |
Spread |
Total |
Moneyline |
|
New Jersey Devils |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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Devils vs. Penguins Bettings Trends
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New Jersey Devils
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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Devils vs. Penguins Season Stats
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New Jersey Devils (35-14-5) 75 L1 3.43 2.65 186 145 +41 20-4-3 15-10-2 |
Stat Type Pts Streak (W/L) GF/G GA/G Total GF Total GA G Diff Away Home |
Pittsburgh Penguins (27-17-9)63L13.233.08176169+712-11-515-6-4 |
Prediction
I would take the New Jersey Devils in this one. When you look at record (35-14-5) and total points (75), the Devils are the 3rd best team in the NHL. They are tied for the second-best goal differential (+41) and yet to lose to the Penguins this season. The Devils are also excellent on the road, recording the most away wins in the NHL (20) and posting winning percentage of 74.1% on the road. The middling Penguins are too inconsistent for me to have any confidence in them against the Devils, and while Sidney Crosby is an absolute icon in the NHL, the Devil’s Jack Hughes is looking like the league’s next big superstar Center.
- Prediction: New Jersey Devils Moneyline and the Under.
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