NHL Tuesday best bets: Devils to respond in Detroit

It was another good night on the ice. Although the Devils let us down, we still posted a 2-1 record, as the Oilers and Brent Burns came through.

Let's take a look at a couple of our best bets for Tuesday.

It's a day that ends in "y" - which means we're backing the Devils.

The scoreline suggests they tossed up a dud on Monday night, but that was far from the case. New Jersey recorded nine more high-danger chances than the Capitals (18-9) and controlled nearly 70% of the expected goal share, recording 4.73 to Washington's 2.04.

The difference was goaltending. In the second period, especially, the Devils' chances amounted to nothing, while every mistake ended up in the back of their net. Mackenzie Blackwood conceded four goals on 0.84 goals expected in a disastrous frame.

New Jersey continues to rank at or near the top of the league in almost every key five-on-five metric. The Hurricanes (slightly) have them beaten in terms of shot share, but the Devils rank first in chances, high-danger chances, and expected goals.

Simply put, they're dominating the run of play most nights. It's just a matter of whether or not they can get a save.

Vitek Vanecek was terrible in his debut with the club - which also came against Detroit - but there's reason to expect better this time around.

For one, Vanecek ranked top-10 in save percentage and high-danger save percentage at five-on-five a season ago. I doubt he grades out that high once again, but he should at least be serviceable.

The Red Wings are also hurting up front, as two of their top-six forwards - Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana - aren't available.

Look for the Devils to take advantage.

Bet: Devils (-105)

The Avalanche have one of the league's most dynamic cores, and the Rangers are also dangerous offensively - especially on the power play.

Even so, I still see value in backing the under in this spot.

At five-on-five, the Avalanche have been playing teams very tight. This isn't last year's version of the team that could simply overwhelm anybody and everybody with speed and skill. They're lacking depth and need to take a more cautious approach.

As such, they rank bottom-10 in high-danger chance generation and top-10 in terms of preventing them. They're playing fairly low-event hockey at full strength.

The Rangers are having their share of hiccups defensively, but as a whole, they have done a great job of limiting shot volume. Only the Hurricanes and Devils have allowed five-on-five shot attempts at a lesser rate.

There shouldn't be a ton of chances in this game, which means the teams would have to be clinical with their finishing to push it over the number. That's absolutely possible - both teams have high-end goal-scorers on the roster - but I'm happy to side with the goalies here.

Igor Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders in the league. His save percentage sits at .901 right now, but we can expect that output to improve.

On the flip side, Alexandar Georgiev is playing well heading into his revenge spot. He has won three of four starts and posted a .943 save percentage against a strong Golden Knights team last time out.

You can bet he'll be extra motivated to put forth a strong showing against his old team in this game. So long as the Avalanche don't parade to the penalty box, I think he can do just that.

Bet: Under 6.5 (+100)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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