The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres will kick off the 2024-25 NHL season with a showdown in Prague on Friday.
Both teams missed the playoffs last spring, but there’s reason for optimism in both camps as we head into a new campaign.
For the Devils, that optimism is based on a revamped blueline and the acquisition of goaltender Jacob Markstrom. The betting market believes that the additions of Markstrom, Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon and some depth forwards were enough for New Jersey to establish itself as the betting favorites to win the Metropolitan Division.
Things are a little tamer around Buffalo’s chances to end a 13-year playoff drought but the fact that the Sabres have burned so many people in previous seasons has led to the market cooling on them going into Opening Night.
Thus, it’s not surprising to see the Devils sitting as a -156 favorite at FanDuel for Friday’s season-opener in Czechia.
Sabres vs. Devils odds
| Team | Moneyline | Puck line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabres | +130 | +1.5 (-184) | o6.5 (-104) |
| Devils | -156 | -1.5 (+152) | u6.5 (+115) |
The most peculiar part of Buffalo’s stumble last season was that the defense was vastly improved.
The Sabres had long been searching for some consistency on the backend and in goal and it finally came in 2023-24. The downside was that the offense took a massive step back from the lofty numbers it posted in 2022-23.
All of this added up to the Sabres making a coaching change and bringing Lindy Ruff, who worked the bench in Buffalo from 1997 to 2013, back to Western New York.
Ruff was fired by the Devils at the end of last season, but he did lead New Jersey to a surprising playoff run back in 2022-23. This version of the Sabres has a lot of the same qualities as that Devils team.
The Devils are the trendy pick to win the Metropolitan Division and there’s plenty of merit to those predictions, but it could take some time for this team to gel. Markstrom has been an elite goaltender in previous seasons, but he’s also had some clunkers and isn’t a sure thing to just come in and excel.
Betting on the NHL?
Same goes for the revamped blueline, which now features the stabilizing presences of Pesce and Dillon to go along with Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec and, eventually, Luke Hughes.
This seems like a situation where the betting market is getting a little ahead of itself with the Devils.
Sabres vs. Devils picks
The Sabres hold some value as an underdog and I’d also suggest backing Jack Quinn to find the back of the net at +360 and to be the game’s first goalscorer at 22/1.
Quinn missed almost all of last season with injury but looked terrific when he joined the team and he’ll be playing a pivotal role on the second line and on the top power play.
The Bets: Sabres (+125 or better, FanDuel) | Jack Quinn to score (+360 | Quinn to score first (22/1)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff handicaps the EPL, NHL, golf and anything else that isn’t the NFL and NBA for the NY Post. He’s up 49.73 units betting EPL with a 7.17% ROI.
