This is a 10* METROPOLITAN TOY on the UNDER Devils/Rangers.

I'm expecting a defensive battle here between thee Devils and Rangers in their first meeting of the season to date.

Both sides have been playing to several higher-scoring games of late, but all signs point to a much more of a defensive battle in my opinion.

The Rangers are now 13-9 after they broke a five-game slide with a tight 4-3 win here over Montreal.

New Jersey is 16-9, but its last two of its last threee, including a 6-5 setback at home to Washington last time out. That fact though is important to take note of, as the Devils have seen the total go UNDER the number in five of their last six following a home loss as a favorite.

The Rangers just broke a long losing streak, while the Devils find themselves on a mini-losing streak themselves.

With each team putting an added emphasis onto protecting the defensive end and waiting for the other side to make the first mistake like I suspect, everything finally does point to a lower-scoring UNDER as far as the total is concerned in my opinion.

Good luck, NP