The Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils are set to meet for the second time in five days. Boston took the first meeting in New Jersey — winning 4-3 in a game that was its latter half of a back-to-back — and tonight it's in that exact same scenario, coming off a shootout in Ottawa last night.
Jeremy Swayman was in goal for the B's last night, which means it’s more than likely they'll start Linus Ullmark in tonight’s game. As far as New Jersey goes, it hasn't played since the holiday break, so it'll be well rested, and Vitek Vanecek looks like he will be in the blue paint tonight, meaning that we have one heck of a goalie duel in this game.
Find out the best angle in our NHL betting picks and predictions for the Bruins vs. Devils on December 28.
Bruins vs Devils best odds
Bruins vs Devils picks and predictions
This is a very similar situation to when these two teams met five days ago. Even though the Bruins won that game 4-3, I thought the Devils played a very strong game, outshooting the B’s 40-23, but Boston was able to finish strong.
It feels like I’ve been talking about it all season, but Linus Ullmark has been incredible for the Bruins this season and in my mind, he should be the betting favorite for the Vezina Trophy right now. Ullmark enters this contest with an insane 19-1-1 record, along with a .936 SV% and 1.94 GAA.
Vitek Vanecek hasn’t been as good as Ullmark, but is sporting a record of 12-4-2 with a .909 SV% and 2.41 GAA. Goalies aside, Boston and New Jersey are both Top 3 defensive teams in the NHL — with the B’s being No. 1 (2.18 GA) and the Devils No. 3 (2.56 GA).
Even though both teams are also incredibly talented on the offensive side of the puck, if it weren’t for two late New Jersey goals in the last meeting, the Under would have most likely hit.
The Bruins were only able to score twice on 51 shots last night and they haven’t scored a power-play goal in two straight games. The Devils forwards struggled a bit offensively before the break and could be a little rusty after some time off. This is a great spot to take the Under.
My best bet: Under 6.5 (-120 at BetMGM)
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Bruins vs Devils moneyline analysis
Even though the Bruins are playing the second leg of a back-to-back, in my mind, they are still the clear-cut better team than New Jersey. I’m not taking a shot at the Devils by saying that — I happen to think New Jersey is a top team in the league — but Boston is just on that elite tier.
The B’s completely dominated the Ottawa Senators last night but didn’t get the bounces that they needed, however, you can argue that the Devils had a similar scenario when these two teams met last Friday. New Jersey outshot the Bruins 40-23 but was only able to score three goals.
There is no denying the fact that the Bruins have the edge in most areas of the game — offensively, defensively, and special teams — but the Devils are basically right there with them. Boston is Top 3 defensively and offensively in the league while New Jersey is also Top 3 defensively, but it sits eighth in offensive production.
It’s very tough to pick a side in this battle, but to me, the Bruins have the edge and this is a solid spot to take them.
Bruins vs Devils Over/Under analysis
As I talked about earlier, this is a very strong goaltending battle with a ton of offensive weapons on both sides, but since they played each other so recently, each team will be able to make the proper defensive adjustments.
Coming into this game, the Bruins are skating to a 2.58 xGA/60 and the Devils are at 2.68 xGA/60, so in theory, we shouldn’t see that many goals allowed in this contest. That being said, both teams are actually outperforming those numbers, as the B’s are allowing 2.15 goals per game while New Jersey gives up 2.55 gpg.
Both of these teams haven’t been producing as much offensively as of late, and with the Bruins playing last night they could be a little fatigued, so this seems like a great spot to take the Under.
Bruins vs Devils betting trend to know
The Under is 5-1 in the Devils' last six games overall. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs Devils.
Bruins vs Devils game info
| Location: | Prudential Center, Newark, NJ |
| Date: | Wednesday, December 28, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
