The NHL Daily: Running with the Devils

Welcome to the NHL Daily. Go inside the NHL’s card for Monday, Nov. 27, as we explore betting angles and try to find value in this volatile, cruel, good-for-nothing sport. 

Goalies are weird. They are part athlete, part witch doctor, and just when you think you've one of them figured out and you feel like you can depend on him, he goes ahead and does something weird. But even though goalies are fickle beasts by nature, things are rarely this amiss in the blue paint. At the time of writing this column, the following goaltenders rank in the bottom nine in goals saved above average (GSAA) among the 53 netminders who have played at least 200 minutes so far this season: Cam Talbot (45th), Tuukka Rask (47th), Matt Murray (48th), Antti Raanta (49th), Carey Price (51st) and Craig Anderson (53rd). Those six goalies were all expected to be vital cogs for their respective teams, but instead they've thrown a wrench into things by underperforming through the first quarter of the season. Tomorrow, we'll look at the goalies at the other side the GSAA spectrum, where things are also strange.

Last night's action: The NHL Daily took the weekend off, so you have to go back to Friday for the recap. The red hot Islanders (+101) got the night off to a kickin' start by erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period and then putting the Flyers away in overtime. Unfortunately, our other two plays came up short, as the Rangers downed the Red Wings (+149) in OT and the Avalanche (+180) fell in a shootout against the Wild.

Tonight's slate:

It's after Thanksgiving, and the New Jersey Devils are in first place in the NHL's toughest division. Tonight, they host the Florida Panthers, who are sitting second to last in the East. The Panthers have one of the NHL's best lines with Evgeny Dadonov-Sasha Barkov-Jonathan Huberdeau, but Dadonov, who's been excellent since coming over from the KHL, is week-to-week with a shoulder injury. Taking that first line out of the equation paints a dire picture for the Panthers, and the Devils should be able to take advantage. Run with the Devils.

Picks: New Jersey -125

Season to date: 58-65, +2.43u

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