NHL.com identifies key gameday matchups and players to watch throughout the 2023-24 season.
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Note: Betting lines provided by Betway (U.S., Ontario)
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1. New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 p.m. ET; MSGSN2, BSSO)
NJD moneyline: +140
CAR moneyline: -175
The Hurricanes will be on the second of back-to-back games after a 3-2 road win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, improving to 9-2-1 in their past 12 games. The Devils have won two of their past three games, including a 6-5 overtime victory against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Monday at home. New Jersey is 14-7-1 on the road this season, while Carolina is 13-5-4 at home. The Devils rank sixth in the NHL in goals per game (3.47), and the Hurricanes are not far behind in 10th (3.39).
New Jersey forward Tyler Toffoli had a hat trick, his second of the season, and seven shots on goal against Vegas on Monday, including the overtime goal. Devils rookie defenseman Simon Nemec had two assists against the Golden Knights, giving him four in his past four games. Carolina forward Martin Necas has scored goals in three straight games with one assist and 20 shots on goal in the span since returning from an injury.
2. Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET; BSDET, NBCSP, SNP, SNO, SNE)
PHI puckline (+1.5 goals): -218
DET puckline (-1.5 goals): +180
The Flyers have lost three straight games, with each defeat coming by multiple goals, and goalie Carter Hart has been granted an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. The Red Wings have lost two of their past three games but are 8-3-1 since the return of goalie Alex Lyon from injury with three of those victories coming by multiple goals. The teams have split the season series so far, with Philadelphia winning 1-0 on Dec. 16 thanks to a 32-save shutout for rookie goalie Samuel Ersson at Wells Fargo Center and Detroit bouncing back with a 7-6 shootout victory on Dec. 22 at Little Caesars Arena.
Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat had three assists and four shots on goal in their win against the Flyers on Dec. 22. Detroit forward Patrick Kane, who had three points (two goals, one assist) in that win, remains out with a lower-body injury. Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale scored his first goal since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 8 in their 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and now has three points (two on power play) and 10 shots on goal in six games since the move. Detroit is allowing the fifth-most shots on goal per game (32.6) in the NHL, while Philadelphia is tied for the fifth-fewest SOG allowed per game (28.5).
3. Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSWI, BSN)
Over 6 total goals: -110
Under 6 total goals: -110
Minnesota has won three straight games, scoring at least five goals in each game (16 in span) but are allowing the eighth-most goals per game (3.36) in the NHL this season. Nashville has lost consecutive games and three of its past four with at least three goals allowed in three of those games. Goalies Juuse Saros of the Predators and Filip Gustavsson of the Wild each have two shutouts this season. The teams are tied with each other for 18th in the NHL in goals per game (3.02 each).
Nashville defenseman Roman Josi has had points in six of his past seven games with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in the span. Predators forward Colton Sissons is on a three-game point streak with three assists in the span and playing on the top man-advantage unit with Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist. Minnesota forward Joel Eriksson Ek has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past five games. During that five-game span, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has eight points (five goals, three assists) and rookie defenseman Brock Faber also has eight points (two goals, six assists).
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