NHL Odds, Pick & Preview: Devils vs. Avalanche (April 14)
Chris Tanouye/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: New Jersey Devils standout Jesper Boqvist.
- The Avalanche are heavy home favorites on Thursday night against the Devils.
- With Colorado on the second leg of a back-to-back, backup goaltender Pavel Francouz will get the start.
- Tony Sartori breaks down the matchup and shares his best bet below.
Devils vs. Avalanche Odds
| Devils Odds | +280 |
| Avalanche Odds | -360 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The New Jersey Devils hit the road Thursday to take on the powerful Colorado Avalanche in their NHL showdown.
This is the second meeting between these teams, with the Devils powering their way to a 5-3 win in early March.
So, will we see another high-scoring affair between these sides or can the goaltenders step up this time around? Let's take a look to see where we can find some betting value in this game.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils enter this contest following Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. That game was yet another high-scoring matchup, as there have been seven or more total goals scored in 10 of their last 14 games.
These electric games have been due to a combination of strong offensive play and absolutely horrific goaltending. Nico Daws is the projected starter in goal for the Devils and has been in poor form, as he has allowed three or more goals in eight of his last 11 starts.
During those 11 starts, Daws possessed a mere 0.870 save percentage. The total goals scored has reached seven or more in seven of those 11 games.
The defense in front of Daws hasn't been much help eithe, with the Devils ranking just 21st in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes. As I mentioned earlier, New Jersey's offense has been strong, with the Devils ranking eighth in 5-on-5 xG per 60 minutes.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche enter this matchup on the second half of a back-to-back set as they hosted the Los Angeles Kings in Wednesday's nightcap. Due to the late start, all of the numbers given in this section are from before Wednesday's tilt.
Prior to that game, Colorado has seen a few high-scoring games of late as the total cleared 6.5 goals in two of their last three contests. The club's offense is starting to find its rhythm again, seeming to have fully adjusted to Kadri and Landeskog being temporarily out of the lineup.
This development is good news to those who like to bet overs, which I believe is even more likely to hit in this matchup as the Avalanche will be starting backup goaltender Pavel Francouz. While Francouz has been excellent all season, his numbers have started to come back down to earth of late.
Francouz has now allowed three or more goals in four of his last five starts, posting a 0.903 save percentage. While this figure is not horrible, it's not great either and the Devils' high-powered offense could take advantage.
Devils vs. Avalanche Pick
The Avalanche are more than capable of putting up at least four on Daws and the Devils' blue line, which means we would just need three from New Jersey. Since the Devils have scored three or more in 11 of their last 14 games, I think this game will get to seven total goals.
Even if the total jumps to seven by puck drop, I would still play it if the juice is not too heavy on the over. These are two excellent offenses and we should see a lot of goal-scoring like we did the last time these teams squared off.
Pick: Total Over 6.5 Goals (-115 | Play up to -125)
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