In this article, we’ll provide you with our top betting picks for two games on Friday’s night NHL schedule. This marquee list of matchups includes the Winnipeg Jets at New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals at New York Islanders. We study the odds, betting lines, teams, and players to give you our recommended betting picks to beat the New Jersey bookies.
Winnipeg Jets at New Jersey Devils (ML: +110)
Friday, October 4th, 2019 – 7:00 p.m.
Betting Pick: Devils +110
We’ll have an East-West showdown on the pond tonight as the New Jersey Devils host the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils haven’t even taken the ice during the regular season yet while the Jets just lost to the New York Rangers last night. This makes for a profitable betting opportunity, and that’s why we’re taking the Devils to win over the Jets.
Jets Betting Form
The Jets will be playing their second game in as many nights in the tri-state area, after facing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden last night. Winnipeg lost the contest by the score of 6-4, despite leading 4-3 early in the third period.
Offense certainly wasn’t a problem for the Jets last night, scoring four goals in a span of about 26 minutes. Blake Wheeler led the way with two goals on nine shots while Nikolaj Ehlers had three assists and added eight shots.
We should expect Laurent Brossoit to get the start tonight on the back-end of a back-to-back set. Not to mention, Connor Hellebuyck got lit up for five goals (and one empty-netter) not too far from Rockefeller Center last night, and he’ll likely need a rest. Brossoit was solid last season with a 13-6-2 record to go along with a 2.52 GAA and .925 save percentage.
Devils Betting Form
The new-look Devils will make their season debut and the expectations are high with all of these new additions. Number one overall pick Jack Hughes will make his NHL debut, and he’ll be joined by newcomers P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev, who led the KHL in scoring last season with 82 points in 62 games. Taylor Hall won the MVP in 2018 and this is a contract year for him, after only playing 33 games due to a knee injury the year before.
A big key to tonight’s game could very well be the extended rest that the Devils have over the Jets. Playing on back-to-back days is never an easy task but having to do it after your first game of the season isn’t something that usually bodes well. Not to mention, the Jets allowed six goals in last night’s game so the Devils should have a big offensive night in this one.
Corey Schneider will man the pipes for New Jersey on opening night. The seasoned-veteran only went 6-13-4 last year but there’s plenty of motivation for him to have a strong start to this season, with the young Mackenzie Blackwood waiting in the wings as the goalie of the future.
Betting Pick: Devils +110
As we mentioned, playing on the back-end of a back-to-back set is tough enough as it is – let alone after your first game of the season. We’ll take the fully-rested Devils to win this one in front of the home fans at the Prudential Center in Newark.
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Washington Capitals at New York Islanders (ML: -115)
Friday, October 4th, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Over 6.5
The Washington Capitals and New York Islanders split the season series last year and have plenty of history against one another. There’s one key factor in this game that’ll make our top betting pick the Islanders to win against the Capitals. We study the odds, betting lines, teams, and players to give your recommended betting picks to beat the New Jersey sportsbooks!
Capitals Betting Form
The Capitals got their season off to a great start, spoiling the Blues’ banner night on Wednesday by the score of 3-2 in overtime. It wasn’t necessarily a great “start,” being down 2-0 after the first eight minutes but Washington found a way to come back and deliver.
For the second game in a row, the Caps will head into hostile territory, and you have to wonder if they can keep that same type of momentum up. Odds are, they won’t. After all, Nassau Coliseum will be rocking with those rabid Islanders fans looking for a victory on opening night.
We’re not exactly sure what the goaltending situation will be yet, but it is one to keep an eye on. The Caps are on the front-end of a back-to-back set, with Saturday’s game being the home opener. There’s a chance that Ilya Samsonov gets the start tonight while the team saves Braden Holtby for the fans in DC. If that is the case, and Samsonov is between the pipes, you have to downgrade the Caps a bit.
Islanders Betting Form
There weren’t many changes to the Islanders’ roster so we should expect another big season from this tight-knit group. Last season, they didn’t have any 30-goal scorers and ranked in the bottom third of the NHL with 2.62 goals per game. Nonetheless, everybody gets a little more ratcheted up for the season opener (and home opener in this case), so look for them to be better at least for tonight. This could be even more telling if the Caps do indeed roll with Samsonov in net.
Thomas Greiss will be between the pipes for the Islanders in the season opener. Last season, Robin Lehner (who has since bolted for Chicago) and he combined to allow the fewest goals in the league. It’s a big responsibility put on the shoulders of Greiss, but we think he’s capable of getting it done tonight.
Betting Pick: Islanders (ML: -115)
As we mentioned, this will be the second tough road test for Washington in as many games, making it extremely difficult to win two games under those circumstances. With the assumption that Samsonov will be in net for the Capitals, we love the odds on the Islanders to get the win in their opener.
Bettors can get excellent -115 odds on the Islanders at William Hill Sportsbook. First-time customers can get a $50 deposit-match bonus when signing up for a new account.
