The San Jose Sharks (26-29-4) visit the New Jersey Devils (22-27-10) Thursday in a battle of NHL Entry Draft positioning. Puck drop at Prudential Center is set for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Sharks-Devils sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Sharks at Devils: Projected starting goalies
Martin Jones vs. MacKenzie Blackwood
Jones recorded his first shutout of the season Saturday against the Minnesota Wild, as he stopped all 39 shots he faced on the road. It’s a little too late for Jones and the Sharks, as the 30-year-old is just 14-17-2 on the season with a .894 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average amid a disappointing season for the player and team.
Blackwood has rifled off four straight wins to improve to 19-12-7 on the season. He has a .913 SV% and 2.79 GAA through 37 starts and four relief appearances.
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Sharks at Devils: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 12:25 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Sharks 3, Devils 2
Moneyline (ML)
Chase the value in a battle of cellar dwellers and back the SHARKS (+105) at plus-money. They’re an adequate 12-14-3 on the road for the season as they begin a four-game road swing Thursday. They took a 5-3 home loss against the Florida Panthers Monday after winning four of five games.
The Devils (-129) are just 10-10-10 at home and coming off a 3-0 road loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday. New Jersey has already full-embraced its role as a trade-deadline seller, and it doesn’t warrant being a moderate-sized favorite.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Sharks to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $10.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Take the road dogs to win straight up Thursday and PASS on the spread (+1.5, -250). The single goal of insurance in the event of a loss isn’t worth the lost profit margin.
The Sharks are 15-14 against the spread on the road and the Devils are 16-14 at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
Make the contrarian play and back the UNDER 5.5 (+115) to see if Jones has turned the page on his lost season and can put together back-to-back strong outings following his first shutout of the year. Both teams are 5-5 against the Over/Under across their respective last 10 games.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 242-231
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