The National Hockey League is back! Sort of. Most of the league’s 32 teams still have a few preseason games to go before getting their regular seasons started next week, but for the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, the real action kicks off on Friday afternoon as the teams take part in a special back-to-back pair of games in Prague, Czechia. Both teams hope to bounce back from disappointing 2023/24 seasons, and have a great opportunity here to make a first impression for the whole hockey world to see. Let’s break down the league’s opening night – or afternoon, or maybe even morning if you’re watching from North America.
Bet on Devils vs. Sabres
The moneyline favourites are the Devils, coming in between -144 and -163 on the top Canadian Sportsbooks.
Devils vs. Sabres Best Odds
| Best Devils Moneyline Odds | -144 @ Pinnacle |
| Best Sabres Moneyline Odds | +130 @ Bet99 |
| Best Puckline odds | Devils -1.5 (+171) @ Pinnacle Sabres +1.5 (-180) @ Bet99 |
| Total | Over 6.5 goals (+105) @ Pinnacle Under 6.5 goals (-114) @ TonyBet |
| Time/Date | October 4, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Betting New Jersey Devils (23/24: 38-39-5 SU, 30-52 ATS, 38-38-6 o/u)
New Jersey is among the league’s favourites to win the Stanley Cup this year – so much so, in fact, that I put a few dollars in myself for them to reach the promised land. What happened instead was very, very different. Much of the hype was contingent on the expectation that they’d acquire a marquee goaltender like Connor Hellebuyck, Juuse Saros, or Jacob Markstrom. Well, the former pair ended up being held onto and extended by their teams, and the Flames took their time with Markstrom. Many of New Jersey’s skaters, including stars Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Nico Hischier all missed significant chunks of time to injury, and by the time the trade deadline came around, there was no point in emptying the tank to go for it, instead accepting their fate for the season.
But this is a new year. Around the draft, the Devils called back Calgary on Markstrom and got their guy, with deadline acquisition Jake Allen sticking around as a backup. They hired Sheldon Keefe as their next coach after the Toronto Maple Leafs let him go, hoping to get his history of regular season success and add another gear to the top of it. They signed Brett Pesce to bolster their blue line and acquired Jonathan Kovacevic from Montreal. With all things considered, they’re once again deep in the mix.
Betting Buffalo Sabres (23/24: 39-37-6 SU, 46-36 ATS, 30-45-7 o/u)
The Sabres hoped to finally climb back into the playoffs last season after an encouraging 2022/23, but failed to meet their goal once more. To their credit, the result wasn’t a complete bottoming out – after a slow start, the team went on a respectable 24-18-2 run after New Year’s.
In an attempt to build on that, the Sabres did make some changes, most notably buying out Jeff Skinner and letting Victor Olofsson test the free-agent market, losing them to Edmonton and Vegas, respectively. But they’ve added a few veterans to the forward group in Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and made a timeline-accelerating move in trading Matthew Savoie to Edmonton for Ryan McLeod. They’ve also made a significant shift behind the bench, letting go of Don Granato and bringing back Lindy Ruff as their head coach. Can he bring them to the heights he’d reached with them in the past? It’s tough to say, but there’s definitely room for his hiring to be more than a nostalgia play.
Last Matchup
If there was a night that symbolizes the Sabres’ hopes for a better 2024/25, it was their last game against New Jersey. Why? Well, after giving up two goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, Tage Thompson took control, scoring 28 seconds into the second period, scoring again to tie the game up before the end of the frame, completing a natural hat trick to take the lead with five minutes to go in the third period, and adding an empty-netter for a fourth tally on the evening to lock in the team’s victory. JJ Peterka also added a tally in what was ultimately a 5-2 Sabres win. Devon Levi and Jake Allen both had quality starts in goal, but neither is likely to be their team’s goaltender tomorrow.
Projected Devils vs. Sabres Lines
| Today’s New Jersey Devils Lines | Today’s Buffalo Sabres Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Timo Meier – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt Tomas Tatar – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer Ondrej Palat – Erik Haula – Stefan Noesen Paul Cotter – Curtis Lazar – Nathan Bastian Defence Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton Jonas Sigenthaler – Jonathan Kovacevic Seamus Casey – Simon Nemec Starting In Goal Jacob Markstrom 23/24: 23-23-2, 2.78 GAA, 0.905 SV% | Forwards JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway Beck Malenstyn – Sam Lafferty – Nicolas Aube-Kubel Defence Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju Bowen Byram – Owen Power Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton Starting In Goal Ukka-Pekka Luukonen 23/24: 27-22-4, 2.10 GAA, 0.910 SV% |
It must be a glorious feeling for the Devils, seeing a healthy forward group for the first time in what feels like forever. Not to mention, a goalie! Their biggest acquisition of the summer, by far, was the addition of Markstrom, who they’re hoping to squeeze the last bit of high-end play out of to gain stability between the pipes. In terms of layout, the group they have is more or less what you’d expect – we’ll likely see heavy usage out of that top line this year, at least to start.
Buffalo’s group is pretty fascinating as well, as they aim to have a bit more luck in converting goals than last year. Their first line easily keeps up with the rest of the league, their second is young and full of upside, and they hope to pry some energy out of their bottom six. The blue line is mixed, but its highs are high, between new captain Rasmus Dahlin, growing youngster Owen Power, and deadline acquisition Bowen Byram.
Jack Hughes to score over 1.5 points
Devils vs. Sabres Injury Concerns
The Devils are missing a couple of noteworthy pieces on their blueline. Luke Hughes is still five-to-seven weeks away from a return from an offseason shoulder injury, while marquee free agent signing Brett Pesce is week-to-week with a fibula fracture. Santeri Hatakka, who isn’t as much of a “core” piece but was very much in the mix for a roster spot, is also week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.
Meanwhile, the Sabres enter the season fully healthy.
NHL Betting Trends
- The Devils are 7-3 in the last 10 games between the two teams dating back to April 2021, earning New Jersey bettors 3.36 units if they bet equally across all 10 games. Buffalo has the edge on the puckline, going 6-4. The total goals line has favoured the over in eight of those 10 games.
- New Jersey finished last season with a 3-7 record in their final 10 games, with a 5-5 split against the puckline and seven overs on total goals.
- Buffalo went 5-5 in their final 10 games of 2023/24, also going 7-3 on the puckline while having an interesting 3-4-3 split on total goals.
NHL Player Prop Trends
- Jesper Bratt was New Jersey’s top scorer last year, producing 27 goals and 83 points in 82 games. Timo Meier led the team in goals with 28 in 69 games, while Jack Hughes had the best per-game point pace with 74 in 62 games.
- Alex Tuch led the Sabres in points last year with 59 in 75 games. Tage Thompson was their most efficient producer with 56 points in 71 games, along with being their goals leader with 29.
Devils vs. Sabres Predictions
- Look to Jack Hughes to get this year started on the right foot. If you like him for a big night (which I do), you can get him for over 1.5 points at +174 on Pinnacle, or a goal for +155. If you want to be more conservative, Betway has him for over 0.5 points at -300.
- I like JJ Peterka to be active on the Buffalo end. His best value for shots on goal is over 2.5 at -143 on NorthStar Bets, but if you like one of those shots to be a goal, you can get an anytime tally at +193 on Pinnacle.
- The over is temping. Teams tend to be loose on systems at the start of the year, both of these teams have changed coaches and players are still getting familiar with them, and the games between them tend to be pretty open as it is. Once more, look to Pinnacle at +105 if you see over 6.5 goals being scored in this one.
