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. St. Louis Blues at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET; ESPN)
STL moneyline: +145
NJD moneyline: -180
The Blues have gone 4-5-1 in their past 10 games and will visit the Devils, who have lost three consecutive games and are 3-7-0 in their past 10. The Devils are tied for the ninth-most goals per game (3.31) in the NHL this season while the Blues rank 26th in the category (2.82). New Jersey also is outshooting St. Louis, with the Devils ranking 10th in shots on goal per game (32.1) and the Blues ranking 25th (28.7).
New Jersey captain Nico Hischier has points in three of his past four games with six points (one goal, five assists) during that span. Jack Hughes has points in four of his past five with eight points (three goals, five assists) during the span. Forward Robert Thomas leads the Blues with 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists) in 62 games this season. He is tied for second on the Blues in goals with Jake Neighbours, behind Pavel Buchnevich with 24.
2. Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MNMT)
Over 6.5 total goals: +110
Under 6.5 total goals: -130
The Capitals have gone 5-3-2 in their past 10 games and will visit the Penguins, who are 5-4-1 during that same span. Pittsburgh is heavily outshooting Washington, with the Penguins ranking fifth in the NHL in shots on goal per game (32.9), and the Capitals ranking 30th in the category (27.2). Washington has scored at least five goals in two of its past four games. Pittsburgh comes in after a 5-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Capitals forward Dylan Strome has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his past eight games and forward Hendrix Lapierre has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past five games and has significant lineup placement on their top line with Alex Ovechkin. For Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby continues to lead the Penguins with 63 points (32 goals, 31 assists) in 60 games. Evgeni Malkin has goals in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 27-30.
3. Calgary Flames at Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; BSSUN, SNP, SN360)
CGY puckline (+1.5 goals): -185
TBL puckline (-1.5 goals): +154
The Flames are 6-4-0 in their past 10 games and will visit the Lightning, who are 5-4-1 during that same span. The teams have played each other once this season, with the Flames coming out on top 4-2 on Dec. 16. Tampa Bay ranks seventh in the NHL in goals per game (3.35) and Calgary ranks 16th in the category (3.13). The Flames are outshooting the Lightning, with Calgary having the 11th-most shots on goal per game (31.4) this season and Tampa Bay ranking 22nd (29.5).
Flames forward Nazem Kadri has nine points, including five goals, in his past six games, Jonathan Huberdeau has four assists in his past four games and Mikael Backlund has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past four. For Tampa Bay, Nikita Kucherov has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his past six games. Brandon Hagel has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in his past 16 and Brayden Point has 11 points, including seven goals, in his past nine.
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