Get ready NHL fans, the 2023-24 season is officially here!
While the regular season gets underway with three matchups Tuesday, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils both start the season Thursday.
The Rangers begin on the road against the up-and-coming in Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. For the Devils, they start with their home opener at 7:30 p.m. versus the Detroit Red Wings.
Last season, these Metropolitan Division foes gave us a first-round playoff series to remember. After dropping the first two games, the Devils stormed back to win Games 3-5 and ultimately close it out with a dominant 4-0 Game 7 victory at Prudential Center.
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So how will the Rangers and Devils fare this season? Here are my predictions on how to bet on each team’s point totals and their odds to win the division, conference and the Stanley Cup:
NY Rangers betting odds for 2023-24 NHL season
To win Stanley Cup (+2000), Eastern Conference (+900), Metropolitan Division (+450), make playoffs (-310) and over/under 103.5 points (-115)
Posting 50-plus wins last year for the first time since 2014-15, the Rangers followed it up with a 47-win performance and were one of the best road teams in the NHL with a 28-9-4 record in 2022.
However, it was the second straight postseason that the Blueshirts held a 2-0 lead in a series and failed to close it out.
With new leadership in head coach Peter Laviolette, they’ll have a slightly older lineup with the signings of veterans Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick, all who are 30-plus years old with Wheeler at 37 and Bonino 35.
It’s been an uneasy preseason for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games and two key members of their core as Artemi Panarin and Filip Chytil have dealt with injuries during training camp. No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad also dealt with his own injury scare early in the preseason but has been able to suit up since.
In all, the Rangers will still be one of the top teams in arguably one of the most competitive divisions in the league. However, I expect the Blueshirts to take just a small step back with an older lineup, struggles in the preseason and injury concerns around their top players. Their overtime losses, which they had the fifth-most in the NHL (13) during 2022-23, will almost surely go down, resulting in fewer points.
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I’m betting on the Rangers to make the playoffs, but go below their point total as they record 90-plus points for the third consecutive season.
If you believe in the Blueshirts, the best available line for the Rangers’ points total is a little lower over on FanDuel Sportsbook at 100.5 points with a price of -120.
PREDICTIONS: Rangers go under 103.5 points (-115) but make the playoffs (-310)
NJ Devils betting odds for 2023-24 NHL season
To win Stanley Cup (+1150), Eastern Conference (+600), Metropolitan Division (+240), make playoffs (-520) and over/under 105.5 points (-111)
There was no bigger surprise in the NHL last season than the Devils.
After having the fifth-fewest points in the NHL in 2021-22 (63), they shocked the hockey world last year, posting their most points in a season (112) in franchise history.
A big part of that was a 13-game winning streak. Starting in late October, the team didn’t lose for nearly a month, winning 18 of 20 games following a 3-3 start. Even though the Devils would go on to lose 10 of their next 13 matchups, they still made the postseason with ease and finished only a point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the division title.
As the regular-season nears, there are sky-high expectations and pressure on the Devils now, and for good reason.
The organization boasts one of the best cores in the league with Jack and Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, all of whom are 26 years old or younger.
While they don’t have the same concerns as the Rangers, their biggest question has to be in net.
Starting goalie Vitek Vanecek had a career-high in wins (33) in the regular season. However, once Vanecek started struggling in the playoffs, backup goalie Akira Schmid picked up the slack. The 23-year-old posted shutouts in Games 5 and 7 versus the Rangers, giving the Devils their first playoff series victory in over a decade.
Will Vanecek shake off those postseason struggles and regain the top spot in net? Can Schmid have more of a starter’s role in the regular season? Could this be more of a 50-50 split in between the pipes and they go with the hot hand?
Despite having the third-highest over/under point total in the league and potential questions in net, I’m a full believer the Devils continue their success from last season and go over this high bar, winning the division for the first time since 2009-10.
Check out FanDuel Sportsbook to get the best odds of over 105.5 points (-111) and to win the division (+240).
If you are betting on the Devils to regress, the best number available is an over/under of 107.5 points with a price of -112 on BetRivers.
PREDICTIONS: Devils go over 105.5 points (-111), make the playoffs (-520) and win the Metro (+240)
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NHL betting odds 2023: NY Rangers and NJ Devils season predictions
