Devils vs. Sabres Prediction
The Buffalo Sabres hope to pick up their first win of the season when they host the New Jersey Devils this afternoon at 3PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Sabres are favored at home today, as they are getting odds of -130 to win. The Devils are listed with a money line of +110 to win, while the over/under total has been set at 5 goals. The Devils have won the last three meetings in this series. Today’s game takes place from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
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The Sabres have started the year with a pair of losses. The first was a 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Canadiens and that was followed up with a 6-3 loss to the Islanders on the road. Buffalo is averaging 37 shots through two games while allowing 36.5. Evander Kane is leading the effort so far with two goals and two assists while Jason Pominville has also found the net twice. Robin Lehner is off to a poor start, as he has a 3.92 GAA over 91 minutes in net and his save percentage is just .893.
The Devils are 1-0 to start the season, picking up a 4-1 win at home over the Avalanche. New Jersey was able to pick up 15 takeaways in the win, which helped them to the victory despite being outshot. The Devils were also the more physical team, applying 30 hits to the Avs. Jesper Bratt scored a goal and had an assist in the win while Will Butcher had three assists. Cory Schneider stopped 40 shots in the victory.
The New Jersey Devils have owned this series. Along with winning all three matchups last year, the Devils have won eight of their last nine against Buffalo, dating all the way back to the 2014-15 season. The Devils also come in rested, playing in just one game thus far. A strong showing in net from Schneider should spark them to another victory tonight. Buffalo isn’t getting good tending so far and teams aren’t likely to win consistently with poor showings from their goalie.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: NEW JERSEY DEVILS +110