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Last night might not have been the best night for me, but it was a great night of hockey overall. The Frozen Frenzy was a massive success, as all 32 NHL teams were in action throughout the night. Two of those teams now have to play again tonight— the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils.
This is the only game of the night. After a rough one last night, I only have one play for this game, but it’s a big one.
Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils (-238, 6.5)
The Capitals have been an absolute dumpster fire to start the 2023-24 campaign. They’re coming into New Jersey as the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, skating to a record of 1-3-1, but they’re currently on a three-game losing streak. Tonight, their goaltender, Hunter Shepard, will be making his NHL debut, and it will not be an easy task for him to go into the Prudential Center and win his first-ever game.
Last season, Shepard played in 33 games for the Hershey Bears with a 2.18 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Akira Schmid is expected to get the nod for New Jersey. His start hasn’t been as glamorous as the Devils may have hoped, but it has been good enough to help the team win. Schmid is 1-0-1 with a .892 save percentage and a 3.30 goals-against average. This feels like a get-right game for him against a Capitals offense that is struggling.
Washington is the worst offensive team in the NHL, averaging 1.20 goals per game, and their power play has been horrendous, only scoring at a 6.3% rate. Their penalty kill hasn’t been much better, as it is ranked second-worst in the league at 68.2%.
The Devils should completely dominate this game from start to finish, according to the analytics. New Jersey has the sixth-best offense in the league and the best power play to add to that.
Jack Hughes is on fire right now as he is tied for the league lead in points with 14 in only five games played. I don’t want to overthink or overcomplicate this play.
This should be all New Jersey.
Bet: *3 Units New Jersey Devils -1.5 +100 (play to -120)
2023-24 record: 19-20-0 (-2.00 units)
