by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Mar 03, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Where to watch: MSGSN, ATTSN-RM, SNP, SNO, SNE
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Even
FanDuel: Even
BetMGM: Even
Caesars: Even
Season record
Devils: 40-15-5
Golden Knights: 36-19-6
The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!
Devils - Golden Knights preview, prediction and analysis
The New Jersey Devils will be playing the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, March 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The New Jersey Devils won against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, March 1 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado with a score of 7-5. The New Jersey Devils currently rank 2nd in the Metropolitan Division.
Dawson Mercer extended his goal streak to seven games and had three assists for the New Jersey Devils. The forward has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) during his streak. He has 20 goals in 60 games after scoring 17 in 82 as a rookie last season.
"They just told me [about the streak] out there actually, so it's a good feeling, obviously," Mercer said. "Every night when I go out there, I want to try to contribute offensively, but also be that responsible two-way player.
"But scoring goals is fun, and playing with Nico [Hischier] and 'Tuna' [Tomas Tatar], we've been having a great stretch right now and all contributing. And we just want to make sure we keep this going."
Tatar had a goal and two assists for the Devils (40-15-5), who have won five of six and started a three-game road trip.
Vitek Vanecek allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled at 1:26 of the third period. Akira Schmid made 12 saves in relief.
"You just go in there and try to make the first save to make yourself feel good, and I got into the game," Schmid said. "I just tried to play my game. Obviously, they're a good team. They're fast and good on offense, so [I] just tried to hang in there and somehow get the win."
Ondrej Palat gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 1:07 of the first period when he took a pass from Jesper Bratt down low and beat Annunen to the far side.
Nathan Bastian made it 2-0 when he jammed in a loose puck at 7:52, and Tatar scored at 11:27 when he one-timed a pass from Hischier to give the Devils a 3-0 lead.
"We were getting good bounces. Our pucks are going in, but I think our main goal is playing responsible," Tatar said. "That's how we were going into the game, and obviously if you score to help the team, that's a bonus. We've talked about having a good start. We knew how, in previous games, they were scoring in first two minutes. We were aware of it, so we wanted to have a good start."
Nathan MacKinnon scored for the fifth straight game with 14 seconds left in the first with a one-timer from above the left circle to make it 3-1. Dougie Hamilton gave New Jersey a 4-1 lead at 3:13 of the second period, and Miles Wood scored on a power play at 5:53 to make it 5-1.
Colorado nearly tied it with three goals in 2:04, making the score 5-4.
Mercer extended his goal streak at 16:59 when he knocked in a feed from Ryan Graves to give the Devils a 6-4 lead.
Valeri Nichushkin cut it to 6-5 at 1:26 of the third period when he scored five-hole from between the circles. Schmid relieved Vanecek after the goal, and Hischier scored into an empty net at 18:46 for the 7-5 final.
"I thought it was a heck of an effort, a heck of a game," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I know we made some mistakes, but there was way too much like about the game. You hate to let a team get back in it, but when you've got a [Nathan] MacKinnon and [Mikko] Rantanen, and you've got players like that, you know they're going to get opportunities.
"I thought were resilient. We played a tough third period. We killed a big penalty off [a failed coach's challenge], and I thought we came out probably the best we've come out in the last 30-40 games."
The New Jersey Devils have won seven of their last 10 games.
The Vegas Golden Knights won against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, March 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with a score of 3-2. The Vegas Golden Knights currently rank 1st in the Pacific Division.
Jack Eichel scored two goals for the Vegas Golden Knights.
"It was a great effort and a lot of resiliency from our group to stick with it," Eichel said. "It was a tight-checking game. There wasn't a ton of room out there. They play the game going forward. They put a lot of pressure on you. I thought we did a good job at managing that."
Reilly Smith scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and Adin Hill made 24 saves for Vegas (36-19-6), which had lost two in a row.
"We had a good meeting this morning with most of the lines," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We talked about that it's that time of the year. It's 200-foot games, it's details are going to make the difference against good hockey clubs. Tonight, a very good hockey club. They bought in. We did a good job at limiting shots. … In general, we did a good job."
Eichel gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 5:11 of the second period, taking a pass from William Carrier and scoring high glove side from above the right circle.
"Shea [Theodore] makes a great play up to Will," Eichel said. "Will finds me and I'm just trying to use the [defenseman] as a screen, and good to see it go in."
Martin Necas tied it 1-1 at 13:02. He skated from end-to-end down the left wing, cut to the right while putting the puck under William Karlsson's stick, and scored glove side on Hill.
Eichel then made it 2-1 at 18:51, beating Andersen five-hole on a breakaway.
"Great play by Phil [Kessel] and then a great play by [Ivan Barbashev] to lead me on the breakaway," Eichel said. "It starts in our end. We've done a good job at limiting the interior shots of the other team. That's been one of the real keys to our success lately."
Barbashev's assist was his first point with the Golden Knights since being acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. He played on the top line with Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault.
"Tonight was a little bit easier, trying to understand a little bit more of Jack and 'Marchy' and how they play," Barbashev said. "They made it easier with their support, and (I) just try and play simple."
Jordan Staal tied it 2-2 at 12:44 of the third period with a redirection of Brent Burns' point shot, but Smith gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead at 16:18 when he finished a backdoor pass from Michael Amadio.
"[Karlsson] and 'Amo' did a great job. They've been giving me a lot of chances over the last 10 or 11 games we've played together," Smith said. "It's nice to put one in the back of the net."
The Vegas Golden Knights have won seven of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Timo Meier makes his Devils debut. Jonathan Quick is a Golden Knight. This is a really weird time. I'm feeling an upset. Golden Knights 3, Devils 2
The New Jersey Devils won against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, March 1 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado with a score of 7-5. The New Jersey Devils currently rank 2nd in the Metropolitan Division.
Dawson Mercer extended his goal streak to seven games and had three assists for the New Jersey Devils. The forward has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) during his streak. He has 20 goals in 60 games after scoring 17 in 82 as a rookie last season.
"They just told me [about the streak] out there actually, so it's a good feeling, obviously," Mercer said. "Every night when I go out there, I want to try to contribute offensively, but also be that responsible two-way player.
"But scoring goals is fun, and playing with Nico [Hischier] and 'Tuna' [Tomas Tatar], we've been having a great stretch right now and all contributing. And we just want to make sure we keep this going."
Tatar had a goal and two assists for the Devils (40-15-5), who have won five of six and started a three-game road trip.
Vitek Vanecek allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled at 1:26 of the third period. Akira Schmid made 12 saves in relief.
"You just go in there and try to make the first save to make yourself feel good, and I got into the game," Schmid said. "I just tried to play my game. Obviously, they're a good team. They're fast and good on offense, so [I] just tried to hang in there and somehow get the win."
Ondrej Palat gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 1:07 of the first period when he took a pass from Jesper Bratt down low and beat Annunen to the far side.
Nathan Bastian made it 2-0 when he jammed in a loose puck at 7:52, and Tatar scored at 11:27 when he one-timed a pass from Hischier to give the Devils a 3-0 lead.
"We were getting good bounces. Our pucks are going in, but I think our main goal is playing responsible," Tatar said. "That's how we were going into the game, and obviously if you score to help the team, that's a bonus. We've talked about having a good start. We knew how, in previous games, they were scoring in first two minutes. We were aware of it, so we wanted to have a good start."
Nathan MacKinnon scored for the fifth straight game with 14 seconds left in the first with a one-timer from above the left circle to make it 3-1. Dougie Hamilton gave New Jersey a 4-1 lead at 3:13 of the second period, and Miles Wood scored on a power play at 5:53 to make it 5-1.
Colorado nearly tied it with three goals in 2:04, making the score 5-4.
Mercer extended his goal streak at 16:59 when he knocked in a feed from Ryan Graves to give the Devils a 6-4 lead.
Valeri Nichushkin cut it to 6-5 at 1:26 of the third period when he scored five-hole from between the circles. Schmid relieved Vanecek after the goal, and Hischier scored into an empty net at 18:46 for the 7-5 final.
"I thought it was a heck of an effort, a heck of a game," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I know we made some mistakes, but there was way too much like about the game. You hate to let a team get back in it, but when you've got a [Nathan] MacKinnon and [Mikko] Rantanen, and you've got players like that, you know they're going to get opportunities.
"I thought were resilient. We played a tough third period. We killed a big penalty off [a failed coach's challenge], and I thought we came out probably the best we've come out in the last 30-40 games."
The New Jersey Devils have won seven of their last 10 games.
The Vegas Golden Knights won against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, March 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with a score of 3-2. The Vegas Golden Knights currently rank 1st in the Pacific Division.
Jack Eichel scored two goals for the Vegas Golden Knights.
"It was a great effort and a lot of resiliency from our group to stick with it," Eichel said. "It was a tight-checking game. There wasn't a ton of room out there. They play the game going forward. They put a lot of pressure on you. I thought we did a good job at managing that."
Reilly Smith scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period, and Adin Hill made 24 saves for Vegas (36-19-6), which had lost two in a row.
"We had a good meeting this morning with most of the lines," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We talked about that it's that time of the year. It's 200-foot games, it's details are going to make the difference against good hockey clubs. Tonight, a very good hockey club. They bought in. We did a good job at limiting shots. … In general, we did a good job."
Eichel gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 5:11 of the second period, taking a pass from William Carrier and scoring high glove side from above the right circle.
"Shea [Theodore] makes a great play up to Will," Eichel said. "Will finds me and I'm just trying to use the [defenseman] as a screen, and good to see it go in."
Martin Necas tied it 1-1 at 13:02. He skated from end-to-end down the left wing, cut to the right while putting the puck under William Karlsson's stick, and scored glove side on Hill.
Eichel then made it 2-1 at 18:51, beating Andersen five-hole on a breakaway.
"Great play by Phil [Kessel] and then a great play by [Ivan Barbashev] to lead me on the breakaway," Eichel said. "It starts in our end. We've done a good job at limiting the interior shots of the other team. That's been one of the real keys to our success lately."
Barbashev's assist was his first point with the Golden Knights since being acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. He played on the top line with Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault.
"Tonight was a little bit easier, trying to understand a little bit more of Jack and 'Marchy' and how they play," Barbashev said. "They made it easier with their support, and (I) just try and play simple."
Jordan Staal tied it 2-2 at 12:44 of the third period with a redirection of Brent Burns' point shot, but Smith gave the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead at 16:18 when he finished a backdoor pass from Michael Amadio.
"[Karlsson] and 'Amo' did a great job. They've been giving me a lot of chances over the last 10 or 11 games we've played together," Smith said. "It's nice to put one in the back of the net."
The Vegas Golden Knights have won seven of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Timo Meier makes his Devils debut. Jonathan Quick is a Golden Knight. This is a really weird time. I'm feeling an upset. Golden Knights 3, Devils 2
Betting trends
Devils are 12-1 off two straight overs this season.
Devils are 14-4 off a road win this season.
Golden Knights are 12-3 after 2 straight unders this season.
Golden Knights are 31-10 when revenging a road loss the last 3 seasons.
Projected lines
Devils:
Tomas Tatar -- Nico Hischier -- Timo Meier
Yegor Sharangovich -- Jack Hughes -- Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat - Erik Haula -- Jesper Bratt
Jesper Boqvist -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves -- John Marino
Kevin Bahl -- Damon Severson
Vitek Vanecek
Tomas Tatar -- Nico Hischier -- Timo Meier
Yegor Sharangovich -- Jack Hughes -- Dawson Mercer
Ondrej Palat - Erik Haula -- Jesper Bratt
Jesper Boqvist -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves -- John Marino
Kevin Bahl -- Damon Severson
Vitek Vanecek
Golden Knights:
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Jonathan Marchessault
Reilly Smith -- William Karlsson -- Michael Amadio
William Carrier -- Chandler Stephenson -- Phil Kessel
Brett Howden -- Teddy Blueger -- Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Jonathan Quick
Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Jonathan Marchessault
Reilly Smith -- William Karlsson -- Michael Amadio
William Carrier -- Chandler Stephenson -- Phil Kessel
Brett Howden -- Teddy Blueger -- Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill
Jonathan Quick
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
