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The New Jersey Devils kick off the regular season as they face the Buffalo Sabres in Czechia for the NHL Global Series. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Devils-Sabres prediction and pick.
It was a disappointing season for the New Jersey Devils last season. They would finish the regular season at 38-39-5 on the year, good for 13th in the Eastern Conference, and seventh in the division. After starting 30-27-4 they fired their head coach, Lindy Ruff. Travis Green would take over, but not be able to turn around the season for the Devils. New head coach Sheldon Keefe will be looking to guide the Devils to the playoffs this year.
Meanwhile, the Sabres missed the playoffs as well. they would finish the regular season at 39-37-6, good for sixth in the Atlantic division and 12th in the conference. After a disappointing season, the Buffalo Sabres brought back former coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff was the head coach in Buffalo from 1997 into the 2012-13 season. He led the Sabres to the playoffs eight times, including a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals. He would then spend four seasons in Dallas with two playoff births. Ruff then spent most of four seasons in New Jersey, with one playoff birth.
Here are the NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Devils-Sabres Odds
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -156
Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-184)
Moneyline: +130
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-115)
How To Watch Devils vs Sabres
Time: 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
TV: NHL Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
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Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Devils will be led by a top-line of Timo Meier, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt. Bratt led the team in points last year, with 27 goals, 56 assists, and 83 total points. He was also solid on the power play, with seven goals and 20 power play assists. Jack Hughes was also solid in his 62 games last year. He has 27 goals, 47 assists, and 74 total points. Nine of the goals and 22 of the assists came on the power play. Timo Meier led the team in goals last year. In his 69 games, he scored 28 times with 24 assists. That was good for 52 total points. Ten of the goals came on the power play, with seven of the assists.
Nico Hischier leads the second line. He scored 27 goals and had 40 assists last year with 67 total points. Hischier has nine goals and 22 assists on the power play. He is joined on the second line by new addition Tomas Tatar. Tatar spent last year in Colorado and Seattle after spending two years in New Jersey. Tatar scored just nine goals and had 16 assists. While the Devils are missing Luke Hughes, they will have Dougie Hamilton on the blue line. He played just 20 games with five goals and 11 assists.
Jacob Markstom is expected to be in goal for the Devils in this one. Last year in Calgary, he started 48 games, going 23-23-2 with a 2.78 goals-against average. He also had a .905 save percentage.
Why the Sabres Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Sabres top line is led by JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch. Tuch was tied for the team lead in points, having 22 goals, 37 assists, and 59 total points in 75 games. He has two goals and nine assists on the power play. Tage Thompson was also solid last year. He has 29 goals, 37 assists, and a total of 56 points. He also had nine goals and seven assists on the power play. Finally, JJ Peterka scored 28 times with 22 assists in 82 games last year. He has three goals and four assists on the power play.
The Sabres also bring back Rasmus Dahlin on the blue line. He was tied for the team lead in points. Dahlin had 20 goals and 39 assists last year, including six goals and 14 assists on the power play. Further, Dylan Cozens also returns for the second line. He was fifth on the team in points last year. He had 18 goals and 29 assists last year. Further, he had two goals and eight assists on the power play. Cozens also scored three times short-handed.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to be in goal for the Sabres. He started 54 games last year, going 27-22-4 last year. He had a 2.57 goals-against average while having a .910 save percentage. Further, Luukkonen had five shutouts last year.
Final Devils-Sabres Prediction & Pick
The Sabres will have a slight edge in the goaltender battle. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was ninth in the NHL in goals against per game, but 16th in save percentage. Jacob Markstrom was 20th in goals against while sitting 25th in save percentage. Still, the Devils can score well. They dealt with plenty of injuries last year, and while they are missing one of their top defensemen, Luke Hughes, they still have their top-scoring options. Expect Jack Hughes and Timo Meier to make an impact in this one as the Devils get the win.
Final Devils-Sabres Prediction & Pick: Devils ML (-156)
