Vancouver Canucks @ New Jersey Devils - March 24, 2025

As I lace up my betting shoes for tonight’s showdown between the Vancouver Canucks and the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, I’m feeling a familiar mix of excitement and superstition. The odds have the Devils as -137 favorites, but let me tell you, there’s value to be found in this matchup that has me leaning towards the underdog Canucks.

Let’s break it down. The Canucks come into this game with a record of 32-26-12, which isn’t exactly stellar but has shown some promise lately with a 4-2 ATS record in their last six games. Sure, they lost their last outing against the Rangers 5-3, but that game went OVER—something we’ve seen frequently from Vancouver lately. In fact, they’ve gone OVER in six of their last seven games. With an offensive output averaging 2.8 goals per game and a respectable shooting percentage of 11.5%, they can certainly put pucks in the net when needed.

On the other hand, we’ve got New Jersey sitting at 37-28-6, and while they’re technically favored here, they haven’t exactly been lighting it up on home ice lately—1-4 ATS in their last five at home and just 2-5 SU over that stretch. Their offensive stats show they average nearly three goals per game (2.96), but with only about 28 shots on goal per game and a shooting percentage hovering around 10.7%, they’re not exactly firing on all cylinders either.

Defensively speaking, both teams have decent penalty kill percentages; Vancouver sits at an 82.8% kill rate while New Jersey is slightly better at 82.4%. However, when you consider saves percentage—New Jersey boasts a solid 90.2% compared to Vancouver’s lower mark of 88.5%—you start to see why there might be cause for concern if you’re backing the Devils tonight.

Now let’s talk power plays: New Jersey converts on about 27% of their chances while Vancouver is lagging behind at just over 22%. This could play a crucial role tonight if either team finds themselves with man advantages.

But here’s where I feel confident: history shows us that when underdogs like Vancouver get hot—and boy do they need this win—they often rise to the occasion against teams struggling to find their footing at home like New Jersey right now.

So what am I predicting? I’m going out on a limb here: I believe the Canucks will pull off an upset victory tonight! They’ll cover that spread easily as underdogs typically do when they win outright. As for totals? Given both teams’ recent trends toward higher-scoring affairs yet also considering their defensive strengths tonight—I’m expecting this one to stay UNDER the total of 5.5 goals.

Tonight feels lucky for my betting ritual; perhaps it’s time to light that lucky candle again! Let’s ride those Canucks to victory!