The New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche are set to face off tonight in what could be an early Stanley Cup preview, though neither team is operating at full capacity at the moment.
New Jersey is off to a tremendous start this season but the Devils are now without top centers Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
Colorado’s recent issues come in the form of goal-scoring, having been shut out in three of its last four games. Still, NHL odds have the Avs listed as the presumptive betting favorites on the moneyline at Ball Arena.
Can the Avalanche defend home ice against a shorthanded Devils squad? Read on for our Devils vs. Avalanche NHL picks and predictions on Tuesday, November 7.
Devils vs Avalanche odds
Devils vs Avalanche predictions
The New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche are off to nearly identical starts this season, at least in terms of record. New Jersey has been a bit more impressive given its schedule, and Colorado getting outscored 16-4 in its last four games certainly doesn’t help the optics.
The good news for the Avalanche is they’re returning home. Colorado has one of the true home-ice advantages in the entire league due to Denver's altitude. While other teams are gasping for breath on the bench, the Avalanche players are more experienced at dealing with those effects. That shows with their 3-0-0 home record this season.
The recent stretch of poor play is top of mind for the Avs.
"Three out of four games have been really poor for us," Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon said after a 7-0 road loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. "Tough effort. It starts with our top players. We're not getting the job done and we need to play better."
Even with the Avalanche’s poor play recently, Colorado has the second-best xGF% in the league at 57.62%, per Natural Stat Trick. The Avs have the sixth-best xGF/60 (2.91) and the best xGA/60 (2.14).
On the other side, the injury to Jack Hughes is massive. He has 20 points through his first 10 games and was moving up the ranks in the Hart Trophy odds race.
"Every team has to deal with injuries," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "We're dealing with a couple of key injuries. At the same time, it's a great opportunity for other guys to step in."
Just how important is Hughes to the Devils offense? Well, he’s had a point on over half of the goals the Devils scored (40) in the first 10 contests.
This is a great spot for the Avalanche to return to form and take advantage of a shorthanded Devils team.
My best bet: Avalanche moneyline (-175 at BetMGM)
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Devils vs Avalanche same-game parlay
Avalanche moneyline
Over 6.5
Artturi Lehkonen anytime goal
Despite Colorado’s recent scoring woes, this should be a chance for the Avs to open things up against a depleted Devils squad.
They’ve been very hit-or-miss this season as they’ve been held to two or fewer goals four times (including those three shutouts) but scored four or more goals in their other six games. That includes seven against the Islanders, six against the Hurricanes, and five against the Kings — three pretty good defensive teams.
With the Avalanche ML and the Over getting us to +200, there are a few different ways you can go with the final leg of the parlay. MacKinnon to score gets us to +350 but Artturi Lehkonen gets us all the way up to +675.
Lehkonen has scored in three of 10 games this season and has been generating plenty of chances. In fact, his 10 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 trail only MacKinnon’s 12 for Colorado. And in all situations, Lehkonen leads the team with 20 high-danger scoring chances.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Devils vs Avalanche moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Avalanche opened at around -160 but the market quickly reacted to Hughes’ injury and Colorado settled in at -175 across the board as of Tuesday morning.
In turn, the Devils are now up to +145 underdogs after opening closer to +135.
The money should continue to come in on the Avalanche as bettors realize how weak the Devils are offensively without their top two centermen.
The total for this game is set at 6.5 with the Under 6.5 slightly favored at -112. You can get the Over 6.5 at +100 via FanDuel.
Devils vs Avalanche betting trend to know
The Avalanche are 85-36 in their last 121 home games. Find more NHL betting trends for Devils vs. Avalanche.
Devils vs Avalanche game info
| Location: | Ball Arena, Denver, CO |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 7, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
Devils vs Avalanche latest injuries
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