Can coaching change pay quick dividends for Devils?

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We split our sides on Monday night. The Bruins took care of business as road underdogs, but the Golden Knights - despite a large edge in shots and chances - couldn't beat the Blue Jackets.

Let's look at a couple of plays that pop off the page as we look for a mini-sweep Tuesday night.

After a bit of a dip, the Oilers have gotten back on track in a hurry. They've won four consecutive games, allowing one or two goals in each of them.

The Oilers have done a terrific job of limiting chances and making life easier for their goaltenders without sacrificing offense at five-on-five. In fact, no team has generated high-danger opportunities at a more efficient clip than the Oilers during this stretch. Complete games are again becoming the norm for Edmonton.

I think the Oilers will create problems for Linus Ullmark and the Bruins in this one. Ullmark has quietly posted pedestrian numbers for a while, allowing at least three goals in 13 of his past 18 starts.

That's not ideal considering the Bruins will likely ask a lot of him in this game. At five-on-five, they sit 26th in goals against and 28th in expected goals against over the past 10 games. They are not defending well without Hampus Lindholm.

Leaky defense is a recipe for disaster against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and one of the league's highest-powered offenses. The Bruins are also in a back-to-back situation after an important divisional game Monday night.

Bet: Oilers (-130)

The Devils made a change behind the bench Monday night, moving on from Lindy Ruff in favor of interim head coach Travis Green.

Teams generally get a bump when they change coaches, but I'm not sure we'll see that from the Devils - at least not against the Panthers.

Ondrej Palat is expected to miss this game with an injury. He's one of the Devils' most impactful two-way players and his absence will be felt against an excellent Florida team. Green is also scratching rookie Simon Nemec, who's been the team's best two-way defenseman all season.

The Devils were already playing poor hockey - they've won two of their last seven, managing to defeat the Sharks and Canadiens - and things will be even more difficult now.

The Panthers are as dominant as anybody at five-on-five. They have an abundance of scoring depth, they don't give up much defensively, and Anthony Stolarz has provided elite-level play as Florida's backup goalie.

Even on a road back-to-back, the Panthers should be able to flex their muscles against a vulnerable Devils team.

Bet: Panthers (-125)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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