NHL Odds, Preview: Devils vs Rangers Prediction (Monday, March 11)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images). Pictured: Chris Kreider.
Devils vs. Rangers Prediction, Odds
| Devils Odds | +114 |
| Rangers Odds | -135 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -102o / -118u |
Here's everything you need to know about the New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers on Monday, March 11 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
After the Rangers took a pair of wins from the Devils at Prudential Center earlier this season, the next chapter of the Hudson River Rivalry is set to go down at Madison Square Garden. And while the hosts are honing their game and getting playoff ready, New Jersey is trying to make a desperate push for the postseason under interim head coach Travis Green. With 18 games remaining, the Devils are six points out and have two teams to pass in order to grab a wild-card spot.
With a goaltending overhaul underway in the Garden State and the Rangers likely to save red-hot Igor Shesterkin for the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, look for a high-scoring affair on Broadway. Let's dive into our Devils vs. Rangers prediction and pick.
Monday will mark one week since Lindy Ruff was dismissed and Green took over head-coaching duties for the Devils. Since then, they've gone 1-2-0 but their losses came against two tough opponents, the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.
The Devils also made some significant roster moves ahead of the trade deadline — most notably, bringing in goalies Jake Allen and Kaapo Kähkönen while trading away Vitek Vanecek and reassigning Akira Schmid to the AHL. For now, Nico Daws is still in the mix, but he's also expected to be reassigned once Kähkönen and Allen are fully ready to go.
After missing the entire season with an upper-body injury, winger Nolan Foote has now been recalled from his conditioning assignment in Utica and is close to returning. But the Devils are now moving forward without winger Tyler Toffoli or defenseman Colin Miller, who were both dealt to Winnipeg before the deadline.
On the injury front, Dougie Hamilton and Nathan Bastian remain on the sidelines.
With all those changes, it's a bit unclear what kind of identity the Devils will bring to The Garden on Monday. But it is worth noting that the team's top three forwards — Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier — have all been putting up points with consistency over the past couple of weeks. Meier's hat trick against St. Louis last Thursday was arguably his best game as a Devil.
The Rangers are just 2-2-1 in their last five games. But they came back after a four-day layoff looking rested and refreshed as they downed the St. Louis Blues 4-0 on Saturday, with the power play going an impressive 3-for-6.
The Blueshirts also made some changes at the deadline, bringing in Alexander Wennberg and Jack Roslovic to shore up their forward group. Wennberg picked up one assist in his debut, but for the most part, Saturday's win was fueled by the usual suspects, Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox, with Shesterkin pitching his second shutout of the year. Since the All-Star break, Shesterkin has reclaimed his starter's role with vigor, posting an 8-1-1 record, .948 save percentage and 1.8 goals-against average.
The Rangers are heading into a back-to-back set, though. And with a visit to Carolina on tap for Tuesday, they could hold Shesterkin for that tougher matchup and use Jonathan Quick against the Devils. While Quick has been excellent this year, he has started just two games in the last 12 for New York and gave up four goals apiece to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens.
One injury item to note: Captain Jacob Trouba missed Saturday's game and is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks with a lower-body issue. Zac Jones is filling in on the blue line.
Devils vs. Rangers
Betting Pick & Prediction
With revenge on their minds after getting bounced in the playoffs last spring, the Rangers dispatched the Devils handily in both of the teams' earlier meetings this season — 5-3 in November, then 5-1 a couple of weeks ago.
The Devils will look different Monday and will be motivated to make a good showing in an important rivalry matchup. But the new-coach bump hasn't really materialized for Green in the early going. And even if New Jersey elects to stick with the familiar Daws in net, he was the goalie of record for the February loss.
On the other side, the Rangers are well-rested and have ably filled the lineup holes that were caused by the injuries to Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler.
If Shesterkin was starting, this game would look like a puck-line pick for the home side. But with Quick's recent performances and the Devils' offense clicking well, bettors should look at targeting the total.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-105 at BetMGM | Play down to -115)
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