Buffalo Sabres 2024-25 Stanley Cup Betting
The misery continued for the Buffalo Sabres last year as they continued a playoff futility streak that dates to the 2012 postseason. Buffalo has decided to go back to the future with the hiring of Lindy Ruff as its head coach. Ruff is the last man to lead the Sabres into the Playoffs (2011) and the Stanley Cup Final (1999). Ruff is taking over a team that has talent but no work ethic or confidence. He will be charged with teaching Buffalo how to win and gain the playoffs. The Sabres have a loyal but beleaguered fan base who feels hopelessness. But when Ruff was hired, some of that old feeling came back to Buffalo fans.
2024-25 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Buffalo Sabres NHL Betting Lines
Buffalo Sabres Team Overview
In the 2023-24 season, the Buffalo Sabres were 39-37-6 straight up and
30-46 over/under the total. Also, Buffalo was 12th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Buffalo was 30 points behind the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Buffalo missed the playoffs by seven points.
Buffalo had NHL rankings of 23rd for goals scored and 29th for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Sabres had NHL rankings of
12th for goals against and 13th for penalty killing.
Buffalo Sabres Key Players
RW Alex Tuch was a key asset for the Sabres last year. Tuch scored 22 goals with 37 assists for 59 points and a +9 last year. However, it was a regression from 2022-23, when Tuch scored 36 goals with 43 assists, 79 points, and a +14.
D Rasmus Dahlin scored 20 goals with 39 assists, 59 points, and a -3. He has played in the last three All-Star games.
C Tage Thompson is coming off a decent season with 29 goals, 27 assists, 56 points, and a -1. However, Thompson scored 47 goals with 47 assists, 94 points and a +4 the season before that. And in 2021-22, Thompson scored 38 goals with 30 assists.
Buffalo Sabres Goaltenders
Number one goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was 27-22 last year, with a 2.57 goals against average and .910 save percentage with five shutouts.
Buffalo Sabres Head Coach
Head coach Lindy Ruff played for the Sabres his entire career from 1979 through 1993 and then coached them from 1997 through 2013. He was 571-432-78 in his first stint as head coach. His overall career record is 864-679-78, with 11 playoff campaigns.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 6)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2023–24 |
82 |
39 |
37 |
6th, Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
42 |
33 |
5th, Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
32 |
39 |
5th, Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
15 |
34 |
8th, East |
Did not qualify |
| 2019–20 |
69 |
30 |
31 |
6th, Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
33 |
39 |
6th, Atlantic |
Did not qualify |
Buffalo Sabres History
Founded in 1970 as part of the NHL’s Great Expansion Era, the Sabres have never won the Stanley Cup. Their Glory years were in the mid to late 1970s, led by the famed “French Connection” line of Gilbert Perrault, Rene Robert, and Rick Martin. That team lost the 1975 Stanley Cup Final to the Philadelphia Flyers. That era saw sellout crowds, and that team remains the most iconic in franchise history. Perrault is considered the greatest Sabre ever. The French Connection has a retired banner that hangs in the rafters and a statue outside the KeyBank Center in its honor.
Goaltender Dominik Hasek backstopped the Sabres to the 1999 Stanley Cup Final, which they lost to the Dallas Stars.
Owner Terry Pegula bought the team in 2010 and was celebrated as the local boy who made good and would save the franchise from its losing ways. Pegula promised to spend whatever was necessary and that the entire purpose of the Sabres was to win the Stanley Cup championships. Instead, the Sabres have not made the playoffs since Pegula’s rookie season as owner. Although Pegula has not operated on the cheap, the harder he tries, the worse the team does.
The 2022-23 season marked the first one since 1970-71 that legendary fan-favorite Rick Jeanneret was not on the air as a play-by-play announcer. He has since passed away but will not be forgotten.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NHL Betting Odds, NHL Betting News and information about this and all other sports betting events!
