The New Jersey Devils put their unbeaten 3-0-0 record on the line tonight when they welcome the 3-2-0 Dallas Stars to Prudential Center. Sportsbooks opened the Devils as -135 home favorites with a total of 6.
- The Devils are 7-1 SU in their last eight games at home.
- The total has gone OVER in six of the Stars’ last seven games on the road (avg. combined score: 6.43).
- The Stars are 2-7 SU in their last nine games on the road vs teams with winning records.
Palmieri paving the way for the Devils
Kyle Palmieri’s red-hot start to the season has been something to behold, as the American set a Devils record for the most goals by a player through the first three games of a campaign with six after scoring two for the third consecutive contest in Sunday’s 3-2 win over San Jose. New Jersey has outscored its opponents 14-4 in the early going and is 10-for-11 on the penalty kill. That unit will get tested against a Dallas club that’s gone 7-for-12 on the power play through five tilts.
The Stars are coming off a bad 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, as they wasted a 38-24 advantage of shots. Alexander Radulov saw his season-opening four-game goal-scoring streak end in the tilt but still managed to record an assist to tie Tyler Seguin for the team lead with 10 points. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who was selected third overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, has recorded one assist and 12 shots in his first five NHL games while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time.
Stars are going OVER on the road
Dating back to last season, the Stars have been a fantastic OVER wager when playing away from home. In Dallas’ past seven road games, the OVER is 6-1 with an average combined score of 6.4 goals. The OVER has also paid out in seven of New Jersey’s previous nine contests with one day off between games. Dallas has historically struggled to cover the puckline in New Jersey, as the Stars are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games with the Devils.
Kinkaid, Khudobin likely to get the start in the crease
Keith Kinkaid and Anton Khudobin are listed as the probable starters tonight. Kinkaid (3-0-0, 1.33 goals-against average, .949 save percentage) has been solid in net for the Devils through three games and is once again angling to be the team’s full-time starting netminder going forward with the absence of the injured Cory Schneider. Khudobin (1-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .880 SP) won his debut with Dallas on Saturday by making 22 saves in a 5-3 triumph over Anaheim.
My pick: Take the Devils at home
I predicted New Jersey to be a playoff team at the beginning of the season, and oddsmakers were even offering the prop in plus-money. The Devils look like the real deal in the Eastern Conference and I don’t think their postseason appearance last year was a fluke. Expect them to keep riding the hot streak on Tuesday.
