Devils vs. Predators (January 26)

Credit:

Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Jack Hughes.

Updated:

Jan. 25, 2023 10:12 p.m. EST

Devils vs Predators Odds

hell of a chance	-134
opportunities for predators	+112
over under	6 (-110/-112)
time	8 p.m. ET
TV	BSSO
Odds about FanDuel. Get the up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

Don’t look now, but the New Jersey Devils are red hot. The Devils are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and look to continue their hot streak in Music City against the Nashville Predators.

Nashville claws and claws at being recognized as a playoff team. The Predators pull off a very convincing win over the Winnipeg Jets. They’ve also been playing decent hockey lately, winning 6-4 for the last 10.

Here’s a look at our odds and betting prediction for the New Jersey Devils vs. Nashville Predators.

New Jersey Devil

The Devils not only had a lot of team successes, but also individual successes. The Devils have seven players who have scored 10 goals or more and three who average a point per game (Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier). Defender Dougie Hamilton is also having a great season with 42 points.

New Jersey is one of the more balanced teams in the top three at 55.39 x GF% (expected goals). The Devils also generate a lot of high hazard chances per game.

Coupled with their high-end, consistent-strength game, the Devils’ work on special teams is hard to ignore. The power play is pretty average, scoring 21.4% of the time, but the penalty shootout is fantastic with an 81.5% success rate.

Vitek Vanecek took over the starting role and ran out with it. The Czech keeper plays like a top 10 keeper, scoring above expectations (GSAx) with +8.0 goals and a SV% of 0.916. He has also managed one win in his last eight games.

Nashville predators

Captain Roman Josi has been in a hot streak, scoring points in seven of his last nine games. He shares the points lead with Filip Forsberg, who always threatens to light the lamp. Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund are not far behind in the points race.

There aren’t many offensive weapons in Nashville, and the numbers show it. The Predators rank 22nd in expected goals with 49.53 xGF% and averaging about 10 high danger chances per game.

Coupled with their inconsistent play, the Predators have the third-worst power play in the league, scoring 16.2%. However, their penalty kill gets the job done with an 80.2% success rate.

It can be argued that Juuse Saros stole Nashville’s last game against the Jets. The former Vezina contender has established himself as a top five goaltender, playing at +23.6 GSAx and 0.920 SV%.

Devils vs. Predators Choice

The last time these two teams played each other, the Predators won in overtime. However, I think the result in this game will be very different. The Devils have an incredible 18-2-2 away record and Nashville are great at home, but the Devils are clearly the better team.

Of course, we still have to consider how Juuse Saros will affect this game. Saros can usually handle a large load, and the Predators do a good job of protecting him. However, the Devils are averaging a healthy 34 shots per game, and more shots create more problems. I see the Devils leaving Music City victorious.