New Year’s Day kicks off 2025 with a standalone matchup between two elite teams in a rematch of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and the LA Kings. Both teams are near the top of their respective conferences 13 years later and should excite any hockey fans looking to start their year off right with a few winning picks.
We want to build up an easy victory over the more than in goals during the Winter Classic on Tuesday and hope that we can build on that towards a winning streak.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict, so gamble responsibly.
Betting: Devils Kings Under 5.5 goals (+105), Devils ML (-120)
The Kings are nearly unstoppable at home with a 12-2-1 record, which is thanks to their elite defensive structure, which has the second-best home goals against average this season at 2.13.
The only problem is that it might be starting to fade with seven goals allowed in their last two home games, which could open the door for a Devils team that has one of the best offenses in the league with a 3.32 goals per game average road race.
This may lead people to think we can expect a high-scoring affair, but the Devils are also elite on the defensive side with a 2.47 road goals against average, which is tied with the Wild for the best in the NHL.
I believe one side will come up with a defensive plan to limit the other and keep this game to a very close score, with the Devils beating the Kings in an upset and bouncing back from two straight losses.
