The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabers will begin the 2024-25 NHL season with a showdown in Prague on Friday.

Both teams missed the playoffs last spring, but there is reason for optimism in both camps as we head into a new season.

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 a few depth forwards were enough for New Jersey to establish itself as the betting favorite to win the Metropolitan Division.

Buffalo’s chances of ending its 13-year playoff drought are a little slimmer, but the fact that the Sabers have burned so many people in recent seasons has caused the market to cool before opening night.

So it’s no surprise that the Devils are the -156 favorite on FanDuel for Friday’s season opener in the Czech Republic.

Sabers vs Devils odds

The strangest thing about Buffalo’s blunders last season was that the defense was vastly improved.

The Sabers had long been looking for some consistency on the back end and in goal, and they finally got it in 2023-24. The downside was that the offense took a huge step back from the high numbers it posted in 2022-23.

All of this led to the Sabers making a coaching change and bringing Lindy Ruff, who was on 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 led New Jersey to a surprising playoff run in 2022-23. This version of the Sabers has many of the same qualities as the Devils team.

The Devils are the trendy pick to win the Metropolitan Division and these predictions have merit, but it could take some time for this team to come together. Markstrom has been a top goaltender in recent seasons, but he’s also had a few blunders and isn’t sure if he should just come in and excel.

Betting on the NHL?

The same goes for the revamped blueline, which now features the stabilizing presences of Pesce and Dillon alongside Dougie Hamilton, Simon Nemec and finally Luke Hughes.

This appears to be a situation where the Devils betting market is a little outdated.

Tips for Sabers vs Devils

The Sabers have some value as an underdog and I would also recommend betting on Jack Quinn to come into the net at +360 and be the game’s first scorer at 22/1.

Quinn missed almost all of last season due to injury, but looked great when he joined the team, and he will play a crucial role on the second line and on the top power play.

The bets: Sabers (+125 or better, FanDuel) | Jack Quinn scores (+360 | Quinn scores first (22/1))

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