Pittsburgh Penguins @ New Jersey Devils - April 11, 2025

Ah, Friday night hockey. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching two division rivals clash on the ice. Tonight, we’ve got the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. The oddsmakers have opened with the Devils as hefty favorites at -238, and I can’t say I’m surprised given their record and recent performances.

Now, let’s break this down. The Devils come into this matchup with a record of 41-30-7, while the Penguins sit at 32-35-12. New Jersey has been a mixed bag lately; they’re 4-2 in their last six but have struggled against the spread (3-8 ATS in their last 11). Still, they possess a solid offensive game with an average of about 2.9 goals per outing and an impressive power play percentage hovering around 27.9%. They also boast a decent penalty kill percentage at 82.6%, which is crucial when it comes to stifling opponents’ scoring opportunities.

On the other side, we have Pittsburgh. They’re coming off a dominant 5-0 win over Chicago—no small feat—and they’ve shown resilience by going 4-1 against the spread in their last five games. However, despite their recent success, they’re just 1-5 SU in their last six road games, which makes me think twice about betting big on them for an outright victory tonight.

The total for this game is set at 5.5, and I’m leaning toward it going under based on both teams’ recent performances and defensive stats. New Jersey has allowed an average of just over two goals per game recently while managing to save about 90% of shots faced—a strong indicator that they’ll be tough to crack tonight.

When considering all these factors, my prediction leans towards New Jersey securing the win but not covering that hefty spread; Pittsburgh will keep it close enough to cover if you’re looking at point spreads. The underdog might just surprise us here—after all, if they pull off an upset win tonight against those odds, they’ll definitely cover.

So there you have it: expect New Jersey to take home the victory but don’t underestimate Pittsburgh’s ability to keep things tight enough for bettors who are willing to take that chance on them covering. And remember my little betting ritual: always wear your lucky socks when placing your bets! Good luck out there!