New York Rangers (18-20-2) vs New Jersey Devils (25-15-3)
Game Info: Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 7:00 pm (Madison Square Garden)
The Line: Betting Odds: New York Rangers +150 / New Jersey Devils -180 — Over/Under: 6.5
The New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers meet Thursday in NHL action from Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers prediction.
New Jersey Devils Recap
The New Jersey Devils come into this game looking to add on to a 3-2 win over the Seattle Kraken last time out to improve to 25-15-3 on the year. After this game, New Jersey will head home for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Devils Looking To Build Momentum
Jesper Bratt has a team-high 48 points with 14 goals and 34 assists while Jack Hughes has 48 points with 15 goals and 33 assists and Nico Hischier has 36 points with a team-high 19 goals and 17 assists. Stefan Noesen has 27 points with 16 goals and 11 assists while Timo Meier has 29 points with 14 goals and 15 assists. Dougie Hamilton has 26 points with 21 assists. Jacob Markstrom has gone 20-8-2 with a 2.17 GAA and a .911 save percentage while Jake Allen is 5-7-1 with a 2.83 GAA and a .901 save percentage in goal for the Devils this season.
Why the New Jersey Devils will win
- The favorites have won each of the Rangers’ last eight games.
- The Rangers have lost each of their last seven games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Devils have covered the puck line in four of their last five games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
New York Rangers Recap
The New York Rangers come into this game looking to bounce back after a 5-4 OT loss to the Dallas Stars last time out to drop to 18-20-2 on the year. After this game, the New York Rangers will head on the road to take on the Vegas Golden Knights to kick off their west coast road trip.
Rangers Looking For Consistency
Artemi Panarin has a team-high 43 points with 16 goals and 27 assists while Alexis Lafreniere has 24 points with 11 goals and 13 assists on the year. Adam Fox has 30 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 25 points with 8 goals and 17 assists and Will Cuylle added 24 points with 11 goals and 13 assists. In goal for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is 11-15-1 with a 3.10 GAA and a .906 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 6-5-1 with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 save percentage this season. Louis Domingue is also 1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .926 save percentage so far this season.
Why the New York Rangers will win
- The Devils have lost each of their last six games as road favorites following a road win.
- The home team has won eight of the Devils’ last nine games.
- The Rangers have covered the puck line in each of their last nine games after coming off overtime.
- The Devils have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six road games.
Total Goals Facts
- Ten of the Rangers’ last 11 night games against Eastern Conference opponents at Madison Square Garden have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Eight of the last nine games between two teams from the Metropolitan Division have gone OVER the total goal line.
- Fourteen of the Devils’ last 16 games have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Devils vs. Rangers Prediction
I’m on the Devils here. Not one of my favorite games on the board as the Devils haven’t really been consistent enough for me to lay this kind of price on the road to begin with, but against the Rangers who it feels like are due for a bounce back, it feels extra dicey. However, the Rangers’ goaltending has been erratic without Igor Shesterkin, and every time I give the Rangers the benefit of the doubt, it comes back to bite me in the butt. The Devils are at least healthier and have won the two meetings between these two teams by a combined score of 10-1 this season. I’ll side with New Jersey in this game.