The pandemic has taken its toll on a number of NHL teams, and one of those teams that has had its schedule greatly affected is the Buffalo Sabres, who had to sit out two weeks before just recently coming back to action with a pair of games against the New York Islanders. They enjoyed a win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, which put a halt to a four-game losing streak that they had to think about for a while.

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Now the teams will play again on Tuesday night at the same venue. Neither team is in playoff position at the moment – the Devils are 6-5-2 with 14 points and are seventh in the NHL’s East Division, while the Sabres are two points behind them with 12 points on a 5-7-2 mark.

What’s the right way to go between these two squads? We’ll show you how to make some money on this at America’s Bookie.

Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils Picks

Sabres vs. Devils Betting Report

When: 7:05 PM ET (Tuesday)

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Money Line: Devils -123, Sabres +103

Total: Over 5.5 Goals -110, Under 5.5 Goals -110

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These teams have played three times this season, with Buffalo taking two of the three encounters. The latest – a 3-2 Sabres win in Newark, where Mackenzie Blackwood had a rare hiccup, if that is what you want to call it. Blackwood, the team’s second-round pick in the 2015 draft, had a .915 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against last season, and this year, he found himself elevated to the #1 spot, as Corey Crawford unexpectedly retired. And he’s responded, with a sizzling .938 save percentage and 2.12 GAA in limited action because he had been sidelined with COVID-19.

Blackwood has lost just one of his six starts in regulation (the last one), so the team is happy with how the youngster fits into their future plans.

Speaking of future plans, the Devils had made Nico Hischier the #1 overall pick in 2017, and he’s had 51 goals in his three seasons. A leg injury had kept him on the shelf until Saturday, when the club welcomed him back by making him the youngest captain in the National Hockey League. We’re certain to see his effect before long.

Another former #1 overall pick, Taylor Hall, who had a career-high 39 goals and 54 assists for the Devils in Hischier’s rookie season on the way to winning the Hart Trophy, before moving to Arizona and then to Buffalo (with a one-year, $8 million deal), is slumping, points-wise. He’s scored just one goal and has one point (an assist) in his last five games.

NHL handicappers should expect that Buffalo’s Linus Ullmark will oppose Blackwood between the pipes, and he has decent numbers (2.61 GAA, .909 SV%). Sam Reinhart had two goals for Buffalo on Saturday, bringing his total to five, second on the team to Victor Oloffson. Team captain Jack Eichel leads the way with 13 points.

Jack Hughes, who was taken first in the 2019 NHL draft, is a pivotal part of the Devils’ youth movement, and leads the way with eleven points. No, this is really not an explosive team.

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That makes it hard to play “catch-up.” And it may be useful information, if you want to be involved with in-game or Dynamic Live betting, that the Sabres are 3-0-1 when scoring the first goal and 2-7-1 when they don’t.

What New Jersey wants to do is avoid going a man down. Statistically, they are last in the NHL in penalty killing, failing on 40.5% of those occasions. Buffalo has been pretty dangerous on the power play in the early going, ranking fourth in the league with 32.6% success. The Devils are last in power play opportunities, and have converted only 15.8% of those. Needless to say, special teams are trouble for them.

But in even-strength situations, it’s a different story. The Sabres have a shooting percentage of 5.2%, which is the NHL’s worst figure when it’s five-on-five. Meanwhile, the Devils, as a team, have a save percentage of .950 in the 5 v 5 setting. Their own objective, it follows, should be to stay out of the penalty box. Of course, such a thing is easier said than done.

But we think they should be able to do it to the extent that they can gain a split at the Prudential Center. The Sabres have had a habit of losing touch; five of their seven regulation time losses have been by two goals or more. And we’ll exhibit some faith in Blackwood.

The Play: NEW JERSEY -123