Devils vs Penguins Odds and Picks on April 9th

• The Pittsburgh Penguins are strong road favorites as they host the New Jersey Devils on Friday, April 9th, 2021
• Pittsburgh is just 8-10-2 in this 2021 season on the road, but New Jersey is 4-13-3 at home
• Read below for the odds and a preview of the game

The Pittsburgh Penguins look to get a bit more defensively sound against the New Jersey Devils on Friday. They have had a tough time over the past couple of games, allowing 15 goals including eight to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The puck drops Friday, April 9th, 2021 at 7 PM EST, with Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh pegged as a solid favorite in the Penguins vs Devils odds.

Overall, New Jersey has won two out of the three meetings so far this season. Every matchup has been decided by one goal and every single game has managed to hit the under so far.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New Jersey Devils Odds

Odds as of April 8th

Home Woes in New Jersey Helping Bettors

It has gotten to the point where bettors are zeroing in on just how bad New Jersey tends to play at home. Though it looks on the surface that the performance is good, the results have been bad.  Natural Stats Trick points out that New Jersey’s expected goals at even-strength were 2.61 to Buffalo’s 1 on Tuesday night. Buffalo still outscored New Jersey 3-2 at even strength.

The Sabres have won 9 games this season. They have defeated the Devils 4 times. That is not good.

The Sabres have won 3 times at Prudential Center in 4 tries. The Devils have won 4 times at The Rock in 20 tries. That is also not good.

— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) April 7, 2021

Let these numbers sink in a bit. New Jersey has lost 13 of their last 15 contests at Prudential Center. Both wins were by just one goal, and yes, one was against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 16th.

The Devils have struggled in all phases at home more often than on the road. Defense and goaltending have been bigger culprits of late as they allowed five goals to the Washington Capitals and five goals to the Buffalo Sabres. Both opponents managed less than 20 shots on goal.

The Captain Returns to a Different Team

Nico Hischier has not played since taking a shot to the face from P.K. Subban on February 27th. He had facial surgery in March and comes back to a team that now has a major gap in leadership to fill. Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri were traded to the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

BIG TRADE for #Islanders = #Isles NYI acquired forwards Kyle Palmieri & Travis Zajac from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Greer, Jobst, the #Isles 1st round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft & a conditional 4th round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) April 7, 2021

The captain practiced on Wednesday with New Jersey before the trade. It is not certain whether he will play on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  One thing is certain. With New Jersey’s average age just below 25, the youth will lead this team now and that includes Hischier.

Pittsburgh Struggling With Injuries and Mistakes?

The good news for Pittsburgh may just be that New Jersey is struggling worse than they are?

Pittsburgh allowed 15 goals in two recent losses to the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers.

As for New Jersey, the Devils may not be missing the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen but again having their captain would help even a little.

Penguins vs Devils Best Bet

The Penguins and Devils both come off of Thursday night games and will be on their third game in four nights. Scott Wedgewood may start for the New Jersey Devils and Casey De Smith for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh should be able to adapt to the third game in four nights a bit better than New Jersey. It should be a close game, but Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on the moneyline are the pick on April 9th.

Pick: Penguins Moneyline (-180)

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