It is the only game on Friday in the NHL as the New Jersey Devils face the Buffalo Sabres. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Devils-Sabres prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Devils come into the game sitting at 36-33-4 on the year, which is good for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. It also plaxes them just five points behind Washington for the last wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. They have also won four fo their last five. Last time out, they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs scored the first goal of the game on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, but the Devils answered back, with goals from Luke Hughes and Nico Hischier. In the second, William Nylander tied to the game, and Auston Matthews gave the LEafs the lead. Still, the Devils would answer, scoring twice in the second on goals from Timo Meier and Max Willman to take the lead going into the third. In the third, Jack Hughes would add two goals as the Devils won 6-3.
Meanwhile, the Sabres are 34-34-5 on the year, which places them in sixth in the Atlantic Division. They are coming off a loss at home to the Ottawa Senators. The Senators dominated the start of the game, scoring five goals in the period, including four in the first ten minutes of the game. In the second, JJ Peterka scored, as did Connor Clifton, but the game was already out of reach. The Senators would add an empty net goal and go on to win 6-2.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Devils-Sabres Odds
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+205)
Moneyline: -115
Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-255)
Moneyline: -104
Over: 6.5 (-118)
Under: 6.5 (-140)
How to Watch Devils vs. Sabres
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHL Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Devils Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Devils sit tenth in the NHL this year in goals per game, scoring 3.30 goals per contest this year. Jack Hughes is second on the team in points this year while leading the team in goals. He has 26 goals on the year, which is the same as Tyler Toffoli, who was traded. He also has 45 assists on the year, good for 71 total points. That places him for the most points on the team, while he has played in just 57 of 73 games this year. Hughes also has nine goals and 22 assists on the power play.
He is just behind Jesper Bratt in terms of points. Bratt comes in with 23 goals and 49 assists, giving him 72 points. His assists numbers are the first on the team this year. Bratt has scored six times, and given out 19 assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Nico Hischier has been solid. He comes into the game with 24 goals and 34 assists on the year, good for 58 total points. He also has six goals on the power play and has added just eight assists. Timo Meier rounds out the top-scoring forwards. He sits with 24 goals and 21 assists on the year, good for 45 points. The Devils also get help on offense from the blue line. Luke Hughes has nine goals and 31 assists this year while having four goals and 18 assists on the power play.
The Devils sit 11th in the NHL this year on the power play. They have scored 22.6 percent of their power play chances this year. The Devils are tenth in the NHL on the penalty kill. They have an 81.4 percent success rate on the penalty kill this year.
Jake Allen is expected to be in goal for the Devils in this one. He is 10-14-3 on the year with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. He has played in six games since coming over from Montreal. In those games, he is 4-2 and played well. He has 2.51 goals against average and a .925 save percetnage since joining the Devils.
Why The Sabres Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Sabres sit 21st in the NHL in goals per game this year, at 2.96 goals per game on the season. They are led on offense by the blue line and Rasmus Dahlin. Dalin comes into the game with 17 goals and 35 assists, giving him a team-leading 52 points. He also has five goals and 14 assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Alex Tuch sits second on the team in points and has the most among forwards. He comes in with 19 goals on the year and 30 assists, good for 49 total points. He also has two goals and seven assists on the power play.
The top goal-scoring options have been Jeff Skinner and JJ Peterka. Peterka comes in with 25 goals this year. Meanwhile, Peterka comes in with 20 assists, giving him 44 total points. He has two goals and three assists on the power play. Skinner has 24 goals and also added 21 assists. Also, eight of his goals and four of his assists are on the power play. Further, Tage Thompson has been scoring well. He has 22 goals and 23 assists this year, with eight of them on the power play.
The Sabres's power play has struggled this year sitting 28th in the NHL with a 16.1 percent success rate. The Sabres are 20th in the NHL on the penalty kill this year with a 78.8 percent success rate.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to be in goal for this one. He is 24-19-3 on the year with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Luukkonen is 11th in the NHL this year, sitting eighth in goals against average and 13th in save percentage. He had been solid in March, but last time out was his worst start of the month, and possibly the year. He gave up four goals on nine shots, in less than ten minutes of playu. This is the second rough start in his last three. Against the Oilers, he allowed eight goals on 39 shots in a loss on MArch 21st.
Final Devils-Sabres Prediction & Pick
Both teams are right now out of playoff position, but the Devils are a lot closer to being able to make a run. They have the better offensive options and the better power play units. Further, the Devils are getting solid goaltending from Jake Allen as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonene has struggled. Take the Devils to get the win in this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Devils-Sabres Prediction & Pick: Devils ML (-115)
Follow Us
Subscribe