Part of a busy 13-game NHL slate brings us a battle between the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
These Eastern Conference opponents have met twice, the Maple Leafs winning both, but the Devils will be pushing hard to stop that trend.
When looking through the rosters of each team, there is no questioning the offensive prowess that will be displayed in this game. However, expect this to be a low-scoring affair.
It is predicted that Jacob Markstrom and Joseph Woll will be starting in net for their respective teams, and they are both a force to be reckoned with.
Markstrom has been one of the best goalies in the entire NHL and will give Toronto’s offense issues, while Woll has proven himself to be a steady, consistent performer.
Both teams are outside the top 10 in goals per game average and the pair have each won roughly 60% of their games played.
This will be a close and hard-fought battle, where goals may be hard to come by.
Recent struggles aside, the Maple Leafs could be worth siding with to win this game.
Up to this point, Toronto has posted a better win percentage than New Jersey, and currently sit atop the Atlantic Division by a slim margin.
The Devils have many elite players to choose from, some of them being the NHL’s best, but these two rosters match up well. They both score and defend at similar rates, and have identical styles of play.
This one will come down to who wants it more, and the puck may fall in Toronto’s court as they aim to snap a three-game losing streak.
William Nylander has continued to be one of Toronto’s best players since he entered the league in the 2015/16 season, and he is heavily relied on. He leads the team in goals with 24, but has scored just one goal in the last 11 games.
A player as competitive as he is must be feeling a sense of urgency to get back on the scoring trend, especially because the Maple Leafs are struggling in this losing run.
He has an incredible shot, and will need to use it against a very-strong Devils team in what should be a close game.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NHL on site.
NJ Devils | -125 ML |
TOR Maple Leafs | +105 ML |
Puck Line | NJ -1.5 (+205) |
Total | O/U 5.5 |
Auston Matthews | +125 |
Jack Hughes | +165 |
Nico Hischier | +200 |
William Nylander | +200 |
Jesper Bratt | +220 |
Timo Meier | +220 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.