Devils vs Rangers Prediction 3/18/2026 Today’s NHL Picks

In this article we will formulate a Devils vs Rangers prediction for this NHL game on Wednesday, March 18th at Madison Square Garden in New York. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this NHL matchup.

New Jersey Devils Betting Preview

The New Jersey Devils are 34-31-2 this season after they defeated the Bruins in overtime by a score of 4-3 in their last game. New Jersey trailed 2-0 after the first period, but they blew a 3-2 lead in the third, before escaping with the overtime win. The Devils out shot Boston by a total of 34-22, won 47.9% of the face-offs, and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. New Jersey got goals from Bratt, Brown, and Cotter (2), while Markstrom stopped 19 out of 22 shots, which was an .864 save percentage.

Prior to that game, New Jersey defeated the Kings by a score of 6-4, but lost to the Flames by a score of 5-4 before that. The Devils have won six of their last eight games and they are currently seventh in the Metro standings with 70 points. New Jersey has scored 2.63 goals per game and they have allowed 3.05 goals against per game, while also going 22.2% on the power play and 79.8% on the penalty kill this season. Jesper Bratt has led NJ with 15 goals and 37 assists, while Nico Hischier has added 23 goals and 27 assists. The projected starting goalie for New Jersey is Jacob Markstrom, who is 20-16-1 with a 3.10 goals against average and an .885 save percentage this season. 

New York Rangers Betting Preview

The New York Rangers are 28-31-8 this year after they lost to the Kings by a score of 4-1 in their last game. New York cut the deficit to 3-1 in the third period, but they allowed an empty net goal to seal the loss. The Rangers were out shot by a total of 26-22, won 51.1% of the face-offs, and went 1-2 on the power play in the game. New York got their lone goal from Trocheck, while Shesterkin stopped 22 out of 25 shots, which was an .880 save percentage. 

Prior to that game, New York defeated the Wild by a score of 4-2 and the Jets by a score of 6-3. The Rangers have won four of their last five games and they are currently last in the Metro standings with 64 points. New York has scored 2.79 goals per game and they have allowed 3.12 goals against per game, while also going 24.6% on the power play and 78.2% on the penalty kill this season. Mika Zibanejad has led NY with 27 goals and 36 assists, while Vincent Trocheck has added 14 goals and 33 assists. The projected starting goalie for New York is Igor Shesterkin, who is 22-13-6 with a 2.50 goals against average and a .913 save percentage this year. 

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Devils have lost eight of their last nine games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Rangers have won each of their last three games as underdogs.
• The Devils have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 10 games as road favorites following a win.
• The home team has covered the puck line in each of the last four games between the Devils and Rangers.
• The Rangers have won the third period in five of their last six games as home underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.

Why the New Jersey Devils will win

• The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 13 home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The road team has won four of the Rangers’ last five games.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven Wednesday games at Madison Square Garden.
• The road team has covered the puck line in four of the Rangers’ last five games.
• The Devils have won the second period in five of their last six games as road favorites against Eastern Conference opponents when tied after the first period.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Devils’ last six games at Madison Square Garden following a home win have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Seven of the Rangers’ last eight games at Madison Square Garden against opponents on a winning streak have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Seven of the last nine night games between teams from the same division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in each of the last eight games between the Devils and Rangers.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Devils’ last eight games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.

New York Rangers Player Prop Facts

• Vladislav Gavrikov has scored a goal in three of the Rangers’ last four games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Vincent Trocheck has recorded at least one assist in each of the Rangers’ last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.

New Jersey Devils Player Prop Facts

• Jack Hughes has scored at least one goal in each of his last four appearances against the Rangers.
• Jack Hughes has recorded an assist in nine of his last 10 appearances against the Rangers.

Devils vs Rangers Prediction 

Both of these teams come into this matchup at the bottom of the Metro standings, but they have shown some improvement in recent games. The Devils are 16-16-0 on the road this year, while the Rangers are 9-16-6 at home. New York has won four of their last five games and they have scored at least four goals in all four of those victories. New Jersey has won three of their last five and they have scored 4+ in three straight. I took the over in New Jersey’s last game and they have gone over 6.5 goals in four of their last five, so I am going back to the over here.

David Racey's Pick: Over 5.5