Panthers vs. Devils Odds
| Panthers Odds | +150 |
| Devils Odds | -182 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -138o / +112u |
The most entertaining game on Monday's NHL slate sees the New Jersey Devils host the Florida Panthers.
Florida won two of the three meetings between these two clubs last season.
Will the Panthers take care of business once again, or can New Jersey successfully defend their home ice?
Here's a look at the odds, as well as my Panthers vs. Devils betting pick and prediction for Monday.
Florida Panthers
There's been a bit of a hangover for Florida following last year's loss in the Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. They are 0-2 to kick off the campaign with a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild and a 6-4 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets.
With that said, this is now a buy-low opportunity on the Panthers as you can find them as high as +155 on the moneyline via FanDuel. They played much better than Minnesota in the opener but were simply stumped by a goaltender in a 41-save shutout performance by Filip Gustavsson.
I would argue that they also looked like the stronger team against Winnipeg, but that short-handed goal by Mason Appleton was just too much to overcome. Florida finished that game with 4.58 expected goals for (xGF) compared to the Jets' 3.39.
Like last season, the Panthers are going to boast one of the most electrifying offenses in the league. The question remains with their blue line, which is thin without Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.
However, the guys filling in have stepped up well as they currently rank fifth in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5. Backing up this defense is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is off to a shaky start this year.
Perhaps we will see a "get right" game from the netminder, who is 19-6-1 in his career against the Devils with a .921 SV% and 2.41 GAA.
New Jersey Devils
The long price tag on New Jersey in this matchup makes sense. This is one of the best and most well-rounded teams in the league that will come into this matchup with a bit of a chip on their shoulders after getting upset by the Arizona Coyotes on their home ice on Friday.
With all of that said, -188 is just too long for a matchup against another playoff-caliber team. While a shootout can obviously go either way, New Jersey did not play like a better team in their loss to Arizona.
The Devils relied on those two power play goals to get them back into the game, and going 40% on the power play is not sustainable long term. At 5-on-5 this season, they rank lower than the Panthers in both xGF/60 and xGA/60.
Panthers vs. Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
Goaltender Vitek Vanecek is slated to return to the crease for New Jersey after getting the night off in that aforementioned loss to Arizona. Vanecek has only faced Florida once in his career prior to Monday, allowing two goals on 15 shots for a .867 SV% before getting pulled en route to a 5-4 loss.
I understand making New Jersey the favorites here: they are at home, in a bounce-back spot, and are going against a questionable Florida blue line that is missing their best two defensemen. However, as I alluded to earlier, guys like Josh Mahura and Uvis Balinskis have done a strong job in stepping up.
At +155, give me the Panthers to hand the Devils their second consecutive loss on home ice.
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