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The Buffalo Sabres (0-1-0) meet the New Jersey Devils (1-0-0) Saturday at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia in Game 2 of the NHL Global Series. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET (NHL Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Sabres vs. Devils odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Devils lead 1-0
The Sabres took it on the chin in the opener, falling 4-1 behind G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The lone score came off the stick of D Owen Power midway through the 3rd period after the game was already pretty much decided.
Newcomer G Jacob Markstrom opened the season by making 30 saves on 31 shots in his team debut, earning the victory. Fellow newcomer RW Stefan Noesen opened the scoring, while RW Nathan Bastian (2 A), C Paul Cotter (1 G, 1 A) and D Johnathan Kovacevic (1 G, 1 A) were the 3 players who notched multi-point games.
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Sabres vs. Devils odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated Friday at 5:59 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Sabres +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Devils -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Sabres +1.5 (-185) | Devils -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Sabres vs. Devils projected goalies
Devon Levi (10-8-2, 3.10 GAA, .899 SV% in 2023-24) vs. Jake Allen (12-18-4, 3.44 GAA, .895 SV% in 2023-24)
Levi gets his 1st start of the season after serving as the backup Friday. He made 1 start and 1 relief appearance against the Devils in 2023-24, winning his lone start while making 45 saves on 50 shots in the 2 appearances.
Allen, the New Brunswick native, faced the Sabres 3 times last season, going 1-2-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .917 SV%. The last loss came in late March in Buffalo, as he allowed 3 goals, all to RW Tage Thompson, who ended up with an empty-net goal in the 5-2 win to give him 4 markers on the evening.
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Sabres vs. Devils picks and predictions
Prediction
Sabres 4, Devils 3
Moneyline
The SABRES (+130) are worth a look as short ‘dogs in this rematch. Levi is a solid goaltender who could very well be a 1A goaltender for a lot of teams in the NHL. The same isn’t necessarily true for Allen, making the Devils (-155) a risky play in the rematch.
Remember, last time the Devils faced the Sabres with Allen in the crease, Thompson abused him for 3 goals. Could we see a redux?
Puck line/Against the spread
The Sabres +1.5 (-185) are too expensive on the puck line if you’d like a little bit of insurance just can’t bring yourself to back Buffalo straight up. It makes sense, as it’s early, and the Sabres looked pretty toothless offensively in the opener.
However, AVOID, and just play Buffalo straight up. The offense should look much better against the veteran Allen, who lost 2 of the 3 times he faced Buffalo last season.
Over/Under
OVER -6.5 (-105) is worth a look, but go lightly.
We have a battle of backup goaltenders, coupled with the fact each of these teams have done a lot of traveling after a grueling training camp. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the legs not quite there, especially on the back end, leading to more mistakes and high-danger scoring chances against the No. 2 tendies for both teams. That makes for a potential Over result.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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