Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/13/2022

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Where to watch: ATTSN-PIT, MSG+

DraftKings: Penguins -225, Devils +185

WynnBet: Penguins -225, Devils +180 

Caesars: Penguins -220, Devils +190

Penguins: 29-11-8

Devils: 17-26-5

Penguins: won two straight

Devils: won two straight

It would be imperative for all of us involved if the strong start to the post-All-Star break for the New Jersey Devils was not a legitimate thing.

And to be fair it is not the players’ fault that I just choose not to believe in New Jersey, nor is it the actual crux of the roster. It has everything to do with Lindy Ruff not getting anything out of this group, pushing for yet another signal that a change needs to be made in order to save the future of the devils.

The good news, however, is that the devils are off to a ridiculous offensive start through two games after the All-Star break, putting up seven goals each on the road in Montreal and in St. Louis.

The bad news is, I don't see it happening again against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday when the devils return to Prudential Center. But yet somehow, I’m drawn back in to believe that such a thing will happen and the underdog will pull it out.

I think we can all agree when it comes to the Devils that there is this sense of a missed opportunity, mixed in with a batch of bad luck. Who knows what is to have happened to New Jersey if Jack Hughes never got hurt earlier in the season? The Devils were winning games in the first month of the season, and then Hughes goes down for an extended period and everything is reverted back to the status quo for New Jersey.

But Hughes has since come back and he has earned the right to be called an All-Star this season and will be the face of the franchise going forward. It's taken two years, but Hughes is comfortability has never looked so good on the ice.

Nico HIschier had two goals and an assist, and Yegor Sharangovich had three points himself to lead the Devils through a five-goal third period and get the victory through this offensive explosion.

“We stuck with it. It was a resilient effort,” Devils forward Jimmy Vesey said. “A lot of different guys stepped up. A big win for our group. After that (Montreal) game, definitely there was a boost of morale,” Vesey said. “We're hoping to keep the ball rolling.”

“A tremendous comeback,” Ruff said. “The second period got away from us a little. I thought our guys really responded in the third.”

The Penguins meanwhile are not on such an offensive explosion coming out of the All-Star break, but they are getting wins on the road. Casey DeSmith is coming off a 26 save shutout on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators and former Penguin goalie Matt Murray.

Jeff Carter scored the lone 5-on-5 goal for the Penguins, who needed every bit of offensive firepower available when Murray posted 42 saves against his former team. But with more travel involved, they’re going to need more than one goal at 5-on-5 to feel efficient.

“It was a pretty solid 60 minutes throughout the lineup," Carter said. "They’re a good team, they play fast, they’re a skilled team and they got some chances. Case made some big saves for us, but I think it was probably our most complete game in a long time.”

My firm belief is that Tristan Jarry will come into this matchup ready to dominate. But there's something about the home team finding ways to score early on where I don't think they will score a lot in this game but I do think it will be enough to get the victory. I'm just feeling New Jersey in this one. Devils win 3-1

The Penguins are 56-33 off an under the past three seasons.

The Penguins are 12-2 this season after allowing two goals or less in two straight games.

The Penguins are 37-14 after playing two consecutive road games over the past three seasons.

The Devils are 4-17 this season when playing their fourth game in seven days.

The Devils are 2-12 this season off consecutive overs.

Penguins:

Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust

Brock McGinn -- Evgeni Malkin -- Kasperi Kapanen

Danton Heinen -- Jeff Carter -- Evan Rodrigues

Zach Aston-Reese -- Brian Boyle -- Dominik Simon

Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino

Mike Matheson -- Chad Ruhwedel

Tristan Jarry

Devils:

Yegor Sharangovich -- Nico Hischier -- Jack Hughes

Tomas Tatar -- Pavel Zacha -- Jimmy Vesey

Andreas Johnsson -- Jesper Boqvist -- Dawson Mercer

Mason Geertsen -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Damon Severson

Ty Smith -- P.K. Subban

Colton White -- Ryan Graves

Jon Gillies

Penguins: Mike Sullivan

Devils: Lindy Ruff 

Points: Jake Guentzel -- 49

Goals: Jake Guentzel -- 23

Assists: Kris Letang -- 37

Goalie: Tristan Jarry -- 24-8-6, 2.21 GAA, .925 SV%

Points: Jesper Bratt -- 43

Goals: Jesper Bratt -- 14

Assists: Jesper Bratt -- 29

Goalie: Mackenzie Blackwood -- 9-9-3, 3.29 GAA, .894 SV%