New Jersey vs Vegas Prediction 7 February 2025

🔊 Will the "Devils" extend the visitors' negative streak? New Jersey has started alternating successes with failures. At the most crucial moment of the season, the club has been regularly losing points and may soon complicate its tournament objectives to the limit. Vegas has fallen into a full-fledged gaming crisis, from which it has been unable to escape for almost a month.

📊 Head-to-head

Last season, the opponents met twice and exchanged home victories. First, the "Devils" prevailed in Newark (6:5 OT), and then the "Knights" returned the favor in Nevada (3:1). Both encounters were quite intense, and in the first case, the teams couldn't determine a winner in regular time. The most productive player was Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault. The Canadian scored a double and provided an assist. However, since summer, the player has been playing for Nashville.

😈 New Jersey

Sheldon Keefe's team is struggling to overcome the effects of a significant slump that occurred with the team in mid-January. In the last seven games, the team has won three and managed to stop their fall in the Eastern standings. However, the team's play is still far from ideal, and their tournament position is no longer stable. The hosts are only six points away from the playoff zone boundary, and if they can't change the situation soon, there's a chance they might find themselves fighting for a top-8 spot.

⚫ Vegas

The "Knights" can't seem to get out of their crisis. In the last 10 matches, Bruce Cassidy's team has suffered 8 losses. The team manages to maintain fourth place in the West only due to past achievements, but it no longer has any margin of safety. Moreover, Vegas's play leaves a very negative impression. There are obvious problems in defense and at the last line. Since its founding, the club has never missed the playoffs. They will likely achieve this again this season, but their prospects in knockout matches look very uncertain.

📌 Projected Lineups

New Jersey: Daws - Siegenthaler, Hamilton - Palat, Hughes, Bratt

Vegas: Hill - Pietrangelo, Hanifin - Stone, Eichel, Barbashev

🥅 Goalkeepers

New Jersey's goalie Nico Daws has played only one full game this season and managed to show himself excellently. The young Canadian saved 92.6% of shots on goal against Pittsburgh and brought victory to his teammates. Until Jakob Markstrom returns to the lineup, the goalie needs to take advantage of his rare opportunity to make a full statement.

Vegas goalie Adin Hill's performance lately does not withstand any criticism. The Canadian, who will soon represent his country at the Four Nations Cup, is remarkable for the number of mistakes he makes. In his last five matches, he managed to maintain a 90% save rate only once, and that was when he achieved his only victory in this stretch.

📝 Editorial Prediction

Almost all of the "Devils'" recent matches have become extremely low-scoring. In hopes of overcoming current issues, the team increasingly prefers closed scenarios. They also try to actively support their goalkeepers while waiting for the return of main first-choice Jakob Markstrom. In 14 consecutive home matches, New Jersey has not seen more than six goals scored. Meanwhile, the "Knights'" problems are becoming chronic. The team looks very weak in attack and rarely boasts a large number of goals scored. Our key bet is total under 6.5 goals.