New Jersey Devils vs Buffalo Sabres: Predictions and Odds

Where: KeyBank Center – Buffalo, N.Y.

When: Monday, December 2, 7PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Sportsnet, MSG+, MSG Buffalo | WFAN

New Jersey Devils (Away)

Head Coach: John Hynes{All-Time 150-158-45 NJD}

The New Jersey Devils have yet to reach 10 wins this season and have only gone 5-5-0 in their last ten.

Amidst Taylor Hall trade rumors, the Devils are coming off of a 4-0 shut out loss to their rivals the New York Rangers.

Offense

It’s going to be a rough go for the Devils, even against another struggling team.

Currently, the Devils rank 27th in average goals per game, 30th in faceoff percentage, 27th in shooting percentage, and 28th on the power play.

The highest this team ranks in offense is in shots per game, where they average 30.2 shots on net per matchup.

The power play has also been more than abysmal as they gave up not one, but two shorthanded goals in their last game.

Defense

Luckily for the Devils, they stack up a little better on the back end.

Their penalty kill ranks at 22nd in the league with a success rate of 77.4 percent.

Buffalo’s kill sits at 29th in the league. The New Jersey Devils also hold an advantage when it comes to shots allowed.

New Jersey allows the ninth-fewest shots against per game on average whereas the Sabres rank 22nd.

Goaltending

MacKenzie is expected to get the start for the New Jersey Devils Monday night.

Blackwood has gone 8-7-3 this season.

He has a goals-against-average of 3.12 and a .898 save percentage. He has one shutout.

Head Coach: Ralph Krueger{All-Time 31-32-12 BUF, EDM}

The Buffalo Sabres, although struggling as of late, have what it takes to defeat the New Jersey Devils.

However, can they do it with such an injured roster that includes the likes of defensive star Rasmus Dahlin?

Offense

The biggest advantage here is the play of the Buffalo Sabres at home this season.

At the KeyBank Center, the Sabres have gone 7-3-3.

That bodes well for the team that plays a New Jersey squad that is only 4-6-4 on the road.

The Sabres rank higher than the Devils in every major offensive statistic, but not by much.

The teams are 30th and 31st in the league, respectively, in the faceoff department, for example.

The other advantages for Buffalo in this matchup are the facts that they score more goals, especially per game on average, and they have the superior power play – ranking 19th in the league with a success rate of 17.9 percent compared to New Jersey’s 12.9 percent.

Defense

The Sabres can’t write the Devils off completely when it comes to defensive performance.

As mentioned earlier, they rank lower than the Devils in both shots-per-game and penalty killing.

However, the Sabres take, on average, fewer penalty minutes per game than the Devils and they allow fewer shots per game, ranking 16th in the league compared to New Jersey’s rank of 29th in the league when it comes to goals allowed.

Goaltending

In net for the Buffalo Sabres is expected to be Linus Ullmark. This season, Ullmark has gone 6-5-2. He has a goals-against-average of 3.00 and a .911 save percentage. He has one shutout so far this season.

These two teams last faced off at the start of the season on October 5. The Devils fell victim to the Sabres and became one of the victims to the Sabres 8-1 season start. The Sabres dominated the game with a final score of 7-2.

Not much. Both of these teams sit at the bottom of the league in their conference and the overall standings.

The season is still relatively young and anything is possible, but with the trade rumours floating around about New Jersey’s Taylor Hall, this is Buffalo’s game to lose.

The Sabres definitely have higher odds of salvaging their season than their opponents Monday night.

Questions to Answer

How big of a role will home ice play for the Sabres?

This team has had significantly more success in their home arena and they go up against a Devils team that is well below .500 on the road.

With all the advantages Buffalo brings into this matchup, how much damage can they really do with so many injuries?

Arguably their best player, Rasmus Dahlin, in out with a concussion and the team has also lost players such as Kyle Okposo and Matt Hunwick.

Will we see one of these goalies steal the show?

The two tenders are relatively evenly matched on paper and both could use the benefit of a big, show-stealing performance.

New Jersey Devils Injury Report

D Connor Carrick – DL (finger)

C Jack Hughes – OUT (lower-body)

Buffalo Sabres Injury Report

D Matt Hunwick – IR/NR (neck)

F Vladimir Sobotka – DL (knee)

F Kyle Okposo – DL (concussion)

F Evan Rodrigues – day-to-day (lower-body)

F Tage Thompson – DL (upper-body)

D Rasmus Dahlin – DL (concussion)

New Jersey Devils vs Buffalo Sabres – Game Odds

The latest odds for the Blues vs Lightning game are provided by bet365 NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and SugarHouse.

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