This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres
Expert NHL Picks For Friday, March 29
We've got just one tilt to chew on in the NHL tonight. It's a sleepy one. The Devils are sorta sniffing a Wild Card spot with just nine games to go on their schedule. They sit five points back of the Capitals for the final Wild Card spot in the East, and six points back of the Flyers for third in the Metro. If they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they NEED this win tonight. They're on a two-game heater and have won four of their last five overall.
The Sabres don't have much hope for the postseason left, and they're sputtering down the stretch here with losses in four of six. They looked putrid in their last outing against the Senators, too, allowing five first-period goals in a 6-2 loss. They've been tough head-to-head against the Devils, too, losing their last three meetings and seven of their last 10. Will they have the juice tonight to at least reclaim some of their pride in front of their home fans?
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Sabres ML (+106 on FanDuel)
I'm going against the grain. The NHL has been wonky in the last few weeks. It's hard to be confident in the trends, so that's why I'm fading the trends factoring into tonight's tilt.
If anything, maybe the Devils are just being propped up a bit by the arrival of Jake Allen in net, who is 4-2 since he came over at the deadline. The Devils have been giving up a ton of shots, though. They allowed 45 shots on goal in their 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs two nights ago and 36 shots in their 4-0 win against the Islanders before that. They've allowed 30+ shots in six of their last eight overall, too, so at some point I think the course gets corrected in the goal column.
Over 6.5 (-115 on DraftKings)
I am going to hedge my fade of the trends above by riding a H2H trend for the goal total in this matchup. Eight of the last 10 games between these two have hit over 6.5, including both games this season and four straight overall. Both of these bets are counting on the Sabres to care tonight, so if they show up ready to do business, I like our chances.
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Best NHL Player Props Tonight
I hope this game turns into a track meet with odd man rushes and tons of shots flying around. There are a couple of player props that I'm looking at that could benefit from that type of game.
Nico Hischier to record 3+ shots on goal (-128 on FanDuel)
The Devils' captain is so consistent. He's hit 3+ shots in four of his last five and 15 of his last 20 games overall. They trot him out in every situation at even strength, on the power play and even on the penalty kill. He could hit this in the first period.
John-Jason Peterka over 0.5 points (-125 on DraftKings)
We're riding a hot hand here. JJ's potted points in three straight and six of his last eight. He's been getting Top 6 minutes with a lot of action alongside Tage Thompson, so I'm betting on Peterka to keep his hot streak going in this one.
