The Buffalo Sabres had high hopes going into Europe, but they returned empty-handed. The New Jersey Devils sent the Sabres a harsh reality check in their opening two games of the 2024–2025 season, following a successful preseason. To exacerbate the situation, the Sabres lost three key players to injury during the course of the two games: JJ Peterka, Zach Benson, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel.