Sabres vs Devils

Buffalo’s five-game winning streak runs into a Devils group that has already blanked the Sabres 5-0 this season and has quietly tightened up defensively behind Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom, making New Jersey at -140 my preferred side on the moneyline. With the Sabres coming in on the second half of a back-to-back after a shootout win on Long Island and still just 5-9-2 on the road, the situational edge leans to a Devils team that’s 10-6-1 at home and has won three of its last four. Injuries matter here: Jack Hughes and several depth forwards are out for New Jersey, but the confirmed ESPN roster still features Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier up front, while Buffalo is missing pieces like Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich and leaning heavily on Tage Thompson’s recent scoring binge. The earlier 5-0 meeting, where Allen stopped 42 shots and Arseny Gritsyuk scored twice, showed how effectively New Jersey’s structure can smother Buffalo’s top guns, and with the Devils clinging to a wild-card spot they should be fully engaged. I grade Devils -140 as a B: solid matchup and situational edge on the better defensive form, but Buffalo’s heater keeps this shy of premium value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 21/12/2025 09:29

The recent form and roster context point me toward Under 6 at -110, with both teams trending lower scoring despite Buffalo’s winning streak. New Jersey has just 4-6-0 in its last 10 but is grinding out results with goaltending, allowing only five total goals over its last four games, and has played a string of 2-1 type contests, while Buffalo is winning more with structure and strong penalty killing than with wild shootouts. The Devils’ power play has cooled and they’re still without Jack Hughes plus several depth forwards, capping their offensive ceiling, and the Sabres enter this one off a travel back-to-back that typically saps legs and offense more than defensive effort. Even in that earlier 5-0 Devils win in Buffalo, the Sabres produced plenty of volume but ran into a hot Allen, and with both sides now leaning into tighter systems and quality goaltending, a race to four goals for either club looks unlikely. Combine the underwhelming New Jersey scoring rate (about two goals per game over the last 10), Buffalo’s elite penalty kill, and a game state where both teams are jockeying around the Eastern playoff bubble, and Under 6 gets a B+ from me as the cleanest angle on this matchup. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 21/12/2025 09:29

On the puckline, I prefer Buffalo +1.5 at -220, even while leaning Devils on the moneyline, because New Jersey’s profile screams close games rather than blowouts. The Devils are an excellent 11-2-1 in one-goal decisions and have been living on tight margins with their recent defensive surge, while the Sabres, despite a mediocre 5-9-2 road record, arrive on a five-game heater and have generally kept scores respectable thanks to improved five-on-five play and strong goaltending from Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The earlier 5-0 Devils win in Buffalo is a clear outlier driven by Allen’s 42-save shutout and a multi-goal night from Gritsyuk, and with both rosters now dealing with injuries (Jack Hughes, Simon Nemec and several depth Devils out; Zucker, Kulich and others missing for Buffalo), neither bench is in ideal shape to run away on the scoreboard. With a game total of 6 and both teams tightening defensively, the most likely paths involve a 3-2 or 4-3 type finish, which favors grabbing the extra goal and a half even at steep juice. I grade Sabres +1.5 (-220) as a B-: expensive but aligned with New Jersey’s one-goal tendencies and Buffalo’s current form. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 21/12/2025 09:29