The Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers meet in NHL action from Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. We have an Empire State Showdown on Saturday, who enters the Christmas Break on a high note? Let’s dive in and find out with our Sabres vs. Rangers Prediction.
Buffalo Sabres Team Preview
The Buffalo Sabres come into this one looking to build on a 9-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last time out. Rasmus Dahlin leads the Sabres in scoring with 28 points including 9 goals and 19 assists while Casey Mittelstadt also has 28 points with a team-high 20 assists. Jeff Skinner has 25 points with a team-high 14 goals while JJ Peterka has 24 points with 12 goals and 12 assists. Alex Tuch also has 24 points with 9 goals and 15 assists this season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 6-8-1 record with a 3.17 GAA and an .893 save percentage while Devon Levi is 7-4-2 with a 3.25 GAA and an .892 save percentage and Eric Comrie is 1-5 with a 4.01 GAA and an .863 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have lost each of their last nine games following a win.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games as underdogs against the Rangers.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 15 of the Sabres’ last 16 games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Sabres have won the third period in each of their last four games against opponents on a winning streak.
New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers come into this one looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to Edmonton last time out. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 43 points including team-highs of 17 goals and 26 assists while Chris Kreider has 28 points with 16 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 28 points as well with 20 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 30 points with 18 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 12-7 with a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 9-1-1 with a 2.27 GAA and a .920 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season. The Rangers will face the Capitals after this one.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The Rangers have won each of their last six games at Madison Square Garden following a loss.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in seven of the last eight games between the Sabres and Rangers.
- The road team has won the third period in each of the last four games between the Sabres and Rangers.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last eight home games.
Matchup/League Facts
- The New York Rangers rank 1st in the league in power play percentage this season (31.31%).
- The New York Rangers rank 5th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (85.57%).
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 26th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.29%).
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 32nd in the league for Period 1 goals allowed per game this season (1.29).
Sabres vs. Rangers Prediction
I’m on the over here. The Rangers may have one of the best 1-2 goalie tandems in the NHL in Shesterkin and Quick, but a back-to-back is still a back-to-back so I think there could be some tired defensive legs here while the Sabres have seen two straight games where one team has scored 9 goals. To me, I don’t think we see 9 here on one side, but I think this one could end up being high-scoring as well. Give me the over here.
