NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Wednesday, January 1:
Here are today’s NHL predictions:
New Jersey Devils (-115, 5.5) at Los Angeles Kings
6 p.m. ET
The New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings ring in the New Year as the only game on the NHL card for today. The Devils are coming off a 3-2 setback last night in Anaheim as a (-285) road favorite and now faceoff against a Kings team that has just three losses in 15 home games. New Jersey will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since dropping four straight games in late October. LA is coming off a pair of one-goal wins at home over the Oilers and Flyers.
The Kings opened as a small (-120) home favorite, and we are seeing the line move in favor of the Devils, going from underdog to now a (-115) road favorite. The Devils are taking in 53% of the bets and 84% of the money, according to our VSIN Betting Splits page. I don’t have an explanation for the line move flipping New Jersey from Dog to Favorite. The Devils are on the second half of a back-to-back and are 1-5 in this spot. With Jacob Markstrom playing last night against the Ducks, the expectation is that Jake Allen will be between the pipes against the Kings. Allen has lost his last four starts, giving up 16 goals, and the Over has cashed in three of the four starts. The opposition has scored four or more goals in each of those losses. Allen owns four of the five losses when the Devils are playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Kings have scored three or more goals in six straight home games.
NHL Prediction: LA Kings TT Over 2.5 (-160) – 1 unit
