The New Jersey Devils (19-30-5) travel to meet the New York Rangers (34-15-5) Friday at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Devils vs. Rangers odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Devils have alternated wins and losses over their last four games, and they enter this affair off a 4-3 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday. Jersey is 4-6 in its last 10 games and is next-to-last in the Metropolitan division.
The Rangers are coming off a quality 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues Wednesday, which snapped a two-game slide. They are in third place in the division and trail the Carolina Hurricanes by 6 points.
Devils at Rangers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Devils +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Rangers -180 (bet $180 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-180) | Rangers -1.5 (+140)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -125)
Devils at Rangers projected goalies
Nico Daws (3-2-0, 2.79 GAA, .909 SV%) vs. Igor Shesterkin (26-6-3, 1.98 GAA, .940 SV%, 3 SO)
Daws came back to earth by allowing four 4 on 31 shots against the Blue Jackets Tuesday. He had rolled with 73 saves on 76 shots in the previous two games. This will be a big test for the 21-year-old German.
Shesterkin was touched for 3 goals in his last outing, which hasn’t happened since January. Talk is ramping up that he’s not only the leading Vezina award chase, but he’s a front runner for the Hart trophy as well. Shesterkin dominated the Devils last season with a 4-1-0 record, 1.54 GAA and .948 SV%.
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Devils at Rangers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 4, Devils 2
Money line
The RANGERS (-180) feel safe here at the lofty price tag. New York won the first meeting 4-3 in November via a shootout, and it has won seven in a row against its neighbors.
Shesterkin is also likely to be angry and motivated after allowing 3 goals in his last game to raise his league-leading 1.98 GAA.
Against the spread
The RANGERS -1.5 (+140) is a little risky since the offense has only carried them to three 2-goal wins in the last 10 outings. They’ll likely need an empty-netter late, but it’s worth a half-unit try.
Over/Under
Lean slightly to the UNDER 6.5 (-125) here.
The Under is 24-7-1 in the Rangers’ last 32 games against a team with a winning percentage below .400. The Under is 5-1 in the Rangers’ last six as a home favorite; 5-0 in the Rangers’ last five against the Eastern Conference; and 4-0 in the Rangers’ last four games following a win.
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