The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres kick off the 2024-2025 NHL season in Prague, Czech Republic on Friday.
The pregame narrative: I’m predicting a lot of goals and backing Devils star Jack Hughes to have a multi-point night.
Check out my Devils vs. Sabres picks and the odds for the Global Series game on October 4.
Devils vs. Sabres picks
Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.
| Devils vs. Sabres markets | Betting odds |
| Devils moneyline | -143 |
| Sabres moneyline | +125 |
| Devils -1 | +114 |
| Sabres +1 | -136 |
| Over 6.5 goals | +104 |
| Under 6.5 goals | -122 |
NHL odds as of 11:27 a.m. ET on 10/03/2024.
Go to full NHL betting markets
Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (+106)
Buffalo’s offence looks primed for a breakout season based on its preseason performance. Not to put too much stock into the preseason but there’s not much else to go off at this point.
The Sabres finished 5-1 and scored three or more goals in every game. Four of the six contests went over this total.
Turning to New Jersey, the Devils had one of the better over records in the NHL last season (46-34). With another year of experience under the belt of their young core, this team has the talent to be among the best in the league offensively.
On top of that, neither team has a star goalie. The Devils will most likely turn to Jacob Markstrom, while the Sabres continue to try and build around youngster Devon Levi.
The offensive potential on both sides is much greater than the defensive potential so I’m happy to jump on the over at plus money.
Key stat: Each of the last five contests between these two teams has gone over this total with an average of 8.4 goals scored.
Quick Pick
Hughes to score 2+ points (+163): Before getting injured last season, Hughes was a sizeable favourite to win the Hart.
He recorded 17 points in his first six games, recording five multi-point games in the process. The Devils centre has averaged over a point per game in each of the last three seasons.
At just 23 years old, I fully expect Hughes to take another leap this season. There’s value on him to open the season with a bang.
If he gets off to a similar start as last year, it won’t be long before the price diminishes on his player props.
Picks made at 11:40 a.m. ET 10/03/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.