Devils vs Wild

Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild get this one at home against a Devils team that has dropped four straight and eight of its last ten, now sitting below .500 and leaking too many late goals. With Minnesota 26-11-9 overall and 13-4-6 on home ice, versus New Jersey’s 11-12-0 road mark, the venue sets up nicely for the favorite in what is now a meaningful points grab for Central Division positioning and the Wild’s push to firm up a top-three spot. The Devils still roll out high-end skill in Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt, but they’re missing forward depth with Zack MacEwen, Stefan Noesen and Evgenii Dadonov all sidelined, while Minnesota’s main absence is two-way center Joel Eriksson Ek, which slightly dings their matchup edge but doesn’t flip it. Recent head-to-head history favors New Jersey (five wins in the last six meetings), yet current form and underlying numbers tilt toward a Wild bounce-back, especially if Jesper Wallstedt draws the start against a Devils club averaging barely over 2.5 goals per game in the latest split. I’m laying the moneyline with Minnesota at -175 for an A- grade: strong win probability, fair but not elite value given the price. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 09:37

New Jersey’s recent skid has been driven as much by defensive breakdowns as by scoring droughts, with the Devils allowing around three goals per game on the season and more than that over their last ten, while Minnesota’s attack with Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes has consistently pushed past three goals a night despite some inconsistency in their own end. The market total of 5.5 feels a touch light when you combine Minnesota’s roughly 3.1 goals for per game with New Jersey’s 2.5–2.6 range and then factor in that both clubs’ recent contests have routinely landed in the six-to-eight goal band, especially with the Wild trading chances and the Devils’ penalty kill hovering in the high-70s against a solid Wild power play. Historical meetings have trended slightly high-scoring as well, with five of the last six matchups clearing five total goals, and the current projected scorelines from models sit in the neighborhood of 3-2.5 in favor of Minnesota. At Over 5.5 with a price of -124, I’m on the Over but only for a B grade: the number is right, and a hot goaltending performance on either side could still keep this under. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 09:37

For the puckline, Minnesota -1.5 at +126 is a higher-variance angle that leans on the gap in current form and goal differential between these rosters more than on the recent head-to-head trend, which has actually favored New Jersey in tight games. The Wild have a meaningful edge in five-on-five shot share and season-long goal differential, and when they win at home, it’s frequently by multiple goals thanks to their top-end scoring and improved blue line, while the Devils’ recent losses include several by two or more as their depth thins without MacEwen, Noesen and Dadonov in the forward mix. New Jersey’s historical success in this matchup and the presence of elite talents like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt mean backdoor covers are very live, particularly if Jacob Markstrom steadies things in net, so this is more about capitalizing on Minnesota’s ability to pull away if they get the first or second power-play strike. With New Jersey priced around +1.5 at roughly -154 on the other side, I still prefer the Wild -1.5 at plus money, but only for a B- grade given the volatility baked into an empty-net-or-bust scenario. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 12/01/2026 09:37