The New Jersey Devils will look to spoil the Nashville Predators' playoff chances. The puck drops on Thursday night at 8 p.m. EST.

The Devils are 36-32-2 and seventh in the Metropolitan Division. They are 11 points back of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and probably aren't making the playoffs. New Jersey just beat the Dallas Stars on the road 6-4. After one period of play, the Devils led 4-1. The Stars scored twice in the second and both teams scored in the third period. New Jersey added an empty-netter to put the game away. The Devils were outshot 27-25 and outhit 21-15. Faceoffs were tied at 30 each. The power play was 0-for-3 and the penalty kill was 3-for-4 on stops. New Jersey did a good job blocking some of the Stars' good chances and Jack Hughes was the first star of the game with two goals.

The Predators are 34-28-9 and fifth in the Central Division. They currently hold the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, but it is only a three-point lead. Nashville just beat the San Jose Sharks at home 6-3. The game was over in the first period, as the Preds led 5-1 at the end of one. Nashville was outshot 30-19, outhit 28-20, and lost in faceoffs 34-31. The power play was 1-for-2 and the penalty kill was 3-for-4 on stops. The Predators did well at scoring on a lot of Grade A chances and the first star of the game was Filip Forsberg, who had one goal and two assists.

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Note: The above data was collected on March 26, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

New Jersey Devils

Nashville Predators

New Jersey is 27th in scoring, tied for 19th in goals against, 13th on the power play, and 15th on the penalty kill. Jesper Bratt leads the team in assists. The Devils are 18-17 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. New Jersey has won four of their last five games and the offense has put up six goals in three of those victories. This team continues to show flashes of high-end scoring potential and it usually comes from its young core. With that impressive win over the elite Stars, the offensive momentum can carry over into this game.

Nashville is 20th in scoring, 26th in goals against, 10th on the power play, and 12th on the penalty kill. Ryan O'Reilly leads the team in assists and points. The Predators are 20-13-3 at home and 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Nashville has won five games in a row and it's the longest current winning streak in the league right now. This team is getting hot at the right time and going all in on their push to clinch a playoff spot. During the streak, the defense has played well for a few of the games, and they are beating teams that are in the playoff race as well. The Predators continue to get production from their veteran scorers.

Best Bet: Over

Even though the season offensive rankings for both teams are in the lower tier, the offenses are currently lighting the lamp with ease. The Devils just put up six against a balanced Stars team and are ready to challenge the hot Predators. The three-goal mark has been the magic number for the Nashville winning streak.