NHL Friday best bets: Dancing with the Devils
Thursday was another good night on the ice. Between sides and player props, we hit three of five bets - including a +160 underdog with the Predators.
Let's explore three favorites on Friday's card as we look to keep the ball rolling.
Devils (-120) @ Islanders (+100)The Devils entered the season with very high expectations - and rightfully so. They were one of the league's best teams last year and look even better on paper with Tyler Toffoli, top prospect Luke Hughes, and goal-scoring winger Timo Meier on the roster from the start. However, they haven't lived up to the billing.
New Jersey opened the year with three straight home games and dropped two of them. In the lone victory against the Red Wings, the Devils started slowly and were forced to erase an early deficit to get a result. Not ideal.
As sluggish as the Devils have looked, I still believe they're an upper-echelon club, and we're getting a discounted price right now.
The Devils have an 80-point Selke finalist, Nico Hischier, centering their second line and a near-point-per-game winger in Jesper Bratt by his side. Not many teams have anywhere close to that level of firepower on their second line. The Islanders certainly fall short.
I think it's only a matter of time before the Devils hit their stride and start to play like the dominant team they were for so much of last season.
While a date with Ilya Sorokin isn't ideal for an offensive breakout, I still quite like the Devils' chances. The Islanders barely squeaked into the playoffs last season and made zero notable additions in the offseason. They are what they are: a bubble team.
After multiple underwhelming efforts to start the year, and a few days to chew on them, I'm expecting a more talented Devils side to flex their muscles this time out.
Odds: Devils (-120)
Timo Meier over 0.5 pointsMeier's campaign is off to a miserable start. Through three games, he hasn't found the scoresheet and has only registered four shots on goal. For perspective, last season he averaged more than four shots ... per game.
He's in a healthy rut, and the Devils are determined to get him out of it. Their solution is to slot Meier alongside Jack Hughes on the team's top line. Hughes has piled up six points through just three games and looked dynamic every time over the boards. Suffice it to say, Meier should benefit from playing on his wing.
There's also the regression element. Meier scored 40 goals last season and has averaged more than 70 points over the past two years. He's one of the league's better scoring wingers and, at 27, there's no reason to believe the bottom has suddenly fallen out.
Meier is a great player going through a quiet spell. Getting a shot on Hughes' line should be just what he needs to get going. At even money, there's tremendous value in backing him to register his first point of the season.
Odds: +100 (playable to -140)
Rasmus Andersson over 0.5 pointsAndersson is off to a strong start offensively. He's registered at least a point in three of four games and attempted six shots in the lone failure. He's an excellent puck-mover and is generating a lot of shots, which is a good recipe for production.
The Blue Jackets have struggled mightily without the puck. They rank second to last in shot suppression at even strength, meaning they spend a ton of time on their heels in the defensive zone. There should be plenty of opportunities for Andersson to make plays with the puck while sustaining pressure in the offensive zone at five-on-five.
Andersson also quarterbacks the top power play of a Flames team that's scored on the man advantage in three of four games thus far.
Between skating on PP1 and playing big minutes for a team with a huge five-on-five advantage, Andersson should get a ton of touches in the offensive zone.
Look for one of them to turn to gold.
Odds: -120 (playable to -140)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.
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