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By Brady Trettenero in NHL Hockey
Published:
The 2024 NHL season kicks off with an international matchup between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils in Germany. Puck drop for the 2024 Global Series is 1:00 PM EST, with NHL Network and Sportsnet broadcasting nationally.
The Thursday NHL odds favor New Jersey to prevail over Buffalo in international waters. Both these clubs are looking for bounce-back seasons after disappointing seasons in 2023-24.
Here is our Devils vs Sabres prediction, along with NHL betting odds and picks.
The Devils enter as the favorites with -145 moneyline odds to win, while the Sabres are +125 underdogs. The puck line has New Jersey favored at -1.5 (+165). The over/under for total goals is set at 6.5.
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The Devils are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023-24 season where they finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 38-39-5 record and 81 points. It hasn’t started ideally, as they went 1-6 in preseason, although we wouldn’t put too much stock into exhibition play.
NJD have brought in former Leaf bench boss Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach. Keefe will look to try and lead them back to the promised land after consistently coaching the Leafs to one of the better regular-season records.
Sheldon Keefe, confirmed cool dad. pic.twitter.com/E7rEVuVP0M
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) May 30, 2024
New Jersey’s offense will be led by their talented top line of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier. Last season, Bratt paced the team with 83 points (27 goals), while Hughes added 74 points (27 goals) and Hischier contributed 67 points (27 goals).
Notably, Hughes has tallied seven goals and eight assists in 16 career games against Buffalo, while Bratt has recorded eight goals and 16 assists in 24 matchups with the Sabres. These two should have a big night against a vulnerable Buffalo defense.
New Jersey will look to improve their defensive play after allowing the 26th most goals in the NHL last year. The absences of defenseman Brett Pesce (knee) and Luke Hughes for the season opener is a blow, but Dougie Hamilton is healthy after missing most of last season.
The Devils made several offseason moves, adding goalie Jacob Markstrom, Pesce, right wing Stefan Noesen, and center Paul Cotter. They lost John Marino, Kevin Bahl, and several other depth pieces.
The Buffalo Sabres also missed the playoffs in 2023-24 and are aiming to start the new season on a positive note. They were one of the stronger preseason squads, posting a 5-1-0 record, with JJ Peterka shining on offense.
Buffalo’s 2024 team will be powered by Rasmus Dahlin, who posted a team-leading 50 points last season. Dahlin is expected to play in the season opener after missing some preseason time with an undisclosed injury.
Rasmus Dahlin doing a rehab skate this morning. Viktor Neuchev, injured last week, also out there. #Sabres pic.twitter.com/WFgK0vKyM2
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) September 23, 2024
Buffalo does have some key offensive forwards, however, as Dylan Cozens is in line for a bounce-back year after recording 59 points last season. Tage Thompson, meanwhile, led the team with 29 goals in 2023-24 and can take over a game.
The Sabres had a busy offseason, adding Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, James Reimer and others. However, they will miss Jeff Skinner, who scored 35 goals and 82 points as recently as 2022-23.
The Sabres will try to exploit a Devils defense that struggled mightily last season. Buffalo’s fourth line of Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a strong preseason and could provide some much-needed depth scoring.
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It will likely be Jacob Markstrom vs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease for Thursday’s Global Series opener, according to Daily Faceoff.
The Devils made a big splash this offseason, acquiring the veteran goaltender Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. The Sabres, meanwhile, showed their faith in UPL by inking him to a five-year contract extension.
Markstrom is coming off a down year by his standards, posting a 23-23-2 record with a .905 save percentage. However, he led the NHL in high-danger save percentage (.857) and was a Vezina Trophy runner-up just two seasons ago.
On the Buffalo side, Luukkonen appeared in 54 games last season, posting a 27-22-4 record with a .910 save percentage and five shutouts. He finished 12th in Vezina Trophy voting and was named to the NHL All-Star Game.
Predicting opening day NHL games can be challenging, but this matchup makes it fairly easy for us. These teams have cashed the “over” in five straight meetings and produce plenty of offensive fireworks whenever they get together.
This matchup has all the makings of a high-scoring affair. Both teams have dynamic offensive weapons and question marks on defense and in goal. Markstrom is a nice upgrade for the Devils, but his numbers from last season don’t inspire too much confidence.
Jacob Markstrom leads the #NJDevils out for warmups pic.twitter.com/k5jzZceUMe
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) September 22, 2024
Furthermore, the over has hit in seven of the Devils’ last 10 games dating back to last season. Four of Buffalo’s six preseason tilts had seven or more total goals scored, while four of New Jersey’s preseason battles had at least six goals scored.
If you’re looking for a same-game parlay, I’d be on the Devils’ moneyline despite their lackluster preseason record. They’ve won four of the past five meetings, and Hughes and Bratt should carve up this young Buffalo defense.
NHL Global Series Pick:
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Lead NHL & NCAAF Editor
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
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