Back Bruins As Road Dogs

Bruins vs. Devils, 7:30 ET

Sometimes there is nothing worse than feeling confident in picks, writing them up, and justifying the pick. Then the game takes place and you sit in a horrified silence knowing that it didn't go the way you wanted them do. As I've said before, you can't run and hide from it - the words are published and the only thing you can do is keep firing away. I don't look at either loss on the ice as a bad play from last night. The Flyers lost in overtime, and the Oilers scored four goals in essentially the first 40 minutes of the game. Tonight we will stick to one play and it falls in the game between the Bruins and Devils.

Last season, the Bruins had the best record in the history of hockey. All of that good work in the regular season meant nothing as they were ousted in the playoffs in the first round. They have once again returned to the dominance they had last season as they've put up a stellar record. To start this year, they are 18-5-3. After 26 games last season, they were 21-4-1, so slightly behind the pace, but still very impressive. The Bruins are posting 3.31 goals per game this season and only allowing 2.50 against them. What I think is most impressive about those numbers is that they are actually allowing more shots than they are taking in games. Their defense is doing great considering they are facing that many attempts per game. Even when they are at a disadvantage, their penalty kill percentage is at almost 90%. That could be tested tonight against a Devils team that is scoring on 32.6% of their Power Play opportunities. The Bruins are expected to start Jeremy Swayman in the net tonight and he has been one of the best goalies in the league. He is third in goals against per game at 2.08 and second in save percentage at .932. He has 13 starts this season and has allowed three or more goals in just three of the games.

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 02: A general view of the New Jersey Devils logo prior to the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers on April 2, 2022 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils are playing pretty good hockey lately winning three of their past five contests and they are now 14-11-1 on the season. They play at a fast pace and I think that could bode well for the Bruins who are more than capable of winning games at any pace. The Devils have put in 3.54 goals per game, but they are allowing 3.62 goals. The amount of goals allowed is a bit concerning considering they only face 29.7 shots per game. To me, that indicates the goalies are not doing their job, or the shots they are seeing are high-quality looks. Last season, the Devils lost all three games to the Bruins, including two in New Jersey. They only scored five goals in the three games, but to their credit, they lost two of the three games by just one goal. So they stepped up defensively when they needed to, but couldn't put together a full game. I am expecting the Devils to have Vitek Vanecek mind the pipes tonight. He has struggled this season, allowing 3.49 goals per game and ranks 53rd in the league with a .879 save percentage. He has been a bit of a mixed bag on the season, essentially allowing two goals in a game or four or more.

I think the Bruins win this game. They've been playing good hockey and I think the defense has a big edge in this game. Not only does the defense have the edge, but the goalie is clearly better on Boston's side. I understand that the Devils are at home, and that can make a difference, but the Bruins can win anywhere. In addition to being the better team, they have the rest advantage as well. I'm taking the Bruins +105 for this one.

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