Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils NHL Picks & Predictions 3/29/2018

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Prudential Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Prudential Center to play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, March 29, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -135 and the Devils at +122.

Pittsburgh has a record of 43-28-6 this season and on the road they have a record of 15-20-4-2. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 253 goals and given up 238 goals for a point differential of +15. For the season they have an ATS record of 43-34-0 and an over/under record of 44-31-0. New Jersey has a record of 40-28-8 including 20-14-3-1 at home this season. They are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 229 goals and surrendered 228 for a goal differential of +1. Their record against the spread is 40-36-0 while their over/under record is 38-36-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 43-34-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 44-31-0 against the over/under this season

Important New Jersey Devils Betting Trends

The New Jersey Devils are 40-36-0 straight up this year

The New Jersey Devils are 38-36-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

03/27/18 C Derick Brassard Lower Body left last game, is "?" Thursday vs New Jersey
03/17/18 RW Carter Rowney Upper Body is out indefinitely

Key New Jersey Devils Injuries

03/27/18 LW Patrick Maroon Lower Body is "?" Thursday vs Pittsburgh
01/25/18 LW Marcus Johansson Concussion IR (01/23)

Player Spotlight

Matt Murray has 24 wins and 15 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 1,302 shots against him and he's given up 121 goals. He's made 1,181 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Phil Kessel has accumulated 85 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 30 goals this year with 247 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 55 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 27 goals on 230 shots. He has 57 assists, giving him a total of 84 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Taylor Hall has scored 85 total points this year for the Devils. He has 33 goals this season with 254 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 52 assists on the season and averages 19.2 minutes played per game. Keith Kinkaid has 22 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Devils. He has 1,067 shots against him and he's surrendered 95 goals. He's made 972 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Nico Hischier averages 16.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 18 goals on 169 shots. He has 31 assists, giving him a total of 49 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have allowed 249 power play opportunities and have given up 50 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80% this year. That is 20th in the NHL. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.54% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 25th in the league. The Penguins has 92 total points this season, ranking 10th in the NHL in offense. They are 5th in the league with 253 goals while they've given up 238 goals, which is 12th overall. They have had 239 power play opportunities and scored 62 goals on those chances for a percentage of 26%. That is 1st in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Devils are 14th with 229 goals scored while they are 15th in the NHL with 228 goals allowed this year. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.57%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 17th place in the league. The Devils have a total of 88 points this year, which is 17th in the NHL. They have 49 power play goals on 235 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks their power play unit 14th. They've allowed 244 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, which is 9th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 5th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 4,670 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,362 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.4% as they have 3,567 attempts while they have given up 3,246 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 6th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 52.9% of the time, which is 6th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.1% for the season. That is 26th overall in the NHL. They have 2,403 face-off wins compared to 2,399 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That ranks them 18th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,824 hits and they have blocked 1,116 shots from the opposition, putting them 17th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Devils start possessions in the offensive zone 48.5% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.5% for the year. That ranks them 25th and 5th respectively in the NHL. They have 2,202 face-off wins as opposed to 2,480 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47%. That is 30th in the league. On defense New Jersey has 1,718 hits and they've blocked 1,108 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 19th in blocked shots. New Jersey is ranked 23rd in Corsi percentage with 48.3% as they've tried 4,231 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 4,521 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 20th in the NHL at 49.1%, as they have 3,292 shots while they've given up 3,413 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Devils NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take New Jersey +122

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