First period
The regular-season matchup lists the Devils as the home team and the Blackhawks as the away team for tournament round type group, number 1, phase regular season.
With only team identifiers provided for betting, the clean pregame read is that any early-game market shading typically leans home-ice at NJ while the Hawks take the road role in the listed matchup.
New Jersey Devils vs
Chicago Blackhawks odds will ultimately hinge on who starts in net for the Devils between
Jacob Markstrom and
Jake Allen, with both goaltenders on the roster and no injuries listed for either.
The Devils’ forward picture includes
Nico Hischier,
Jesper Bratt, and
Timo Meier available on the roster, while
Jack Hughes is listed out with a finger injury and placed on injured reserve.
The Devils’ blue line includes
Dougie Hamilton and
Luke Hughes available, while
Brett Pesce is listed out on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Those roster facts frame a first-period angle where NJ’s healthiest top-end names like Hischier, Bratt, and Meier are the most straightforward drivers for a Devils puck line lean in a tight early script.
Second period
Chicago remains the away competitor in the scheduled listing, and New Jersey remains the home competitor, which keeps matchup context consistent for midgame pricing like live lines and in-game totals.
The Devils’ injury list also includes
Johnathan Kovacevic out on long-term injured reserve with a knee injury,
Marc McLaughlin out on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and
Zack MacEwen out on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
With Hughes out and multiple depth pieces unavailable, the Devils’ second-period scoring expectations center more on the available core forwards on the roster than on missing minutes from injured reserve slots.
In that midgame window, New Jersey Devils vs Chicago Blackhawks picks against the spread most naturally align with NJ’s home designation and the presence of Markstrom or Allen as stabilizers behind Hamilton and Luke Hughes.
Third period
The game is explicitly labeled regular season, which keeps late-game approach tied to standings-style urgency rather than a one-off tournament bracket, and that context often tightens late totals when teams protect points.
The Devils still show a healthy set of two-way centers and wingers on the roster including Hischier, Mercer, Palat, Cotter, and Dadonov, which supports late-game matchup depth even with Hughes unavailable.
The defensive group listed for New Jersey includes Siegenthaler, Dillon, Nemec, and Cholowski alongside Hamilton and Luke Hughes, giving the Devils multiple options to close shifts in the final period.
New Jersey Devils vs Chicago Blackhawks expert picks for the closing frame naturally key on NJ’s home status and available lineup balance, while acknowledging that Pesce and Kovacevic remain out and that can influence late defensive pair usage.
New Jersey Devils vs Chicago Blackhawks betting trends are best monitored close to puck drop because the provided slate does not include a posted moneyline, total, or spread number, and late confirmation on the Devils’ starter between Markstrom and Allen can move pricing.
In the last push, lock your angle once the sportsbook posts the full board for moneyline, puck line, and game total, then stay sharp for goalie confirmation that can swing live betting.
This Devils vs Hawks game is scheduled for March 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and fans can watch on NHL Network, MSGSN, or CHSN.
Share this article with Devils fans tracking the matchup and anyone lining up their card for the night.
