The New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres meet Saturday in NHL action from the Keybank Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Sabres vs Rangers Prediction.
Matchup History
These two teams have met twice this season, with the two sides splitting the meetings one win apiece, with the road team getting the win in both meetings as well. The Sabres blew out New York 6-1 at MSG back on November 7th, 2024 but the Rangers got their revenge, 3-2, in Buffalo on December 11th, 2024. Neither team has won back-to-back games in the last six meetings in this series.
New York Rangers Recap
The New York Rangers come into this game looking to get the ball rolling in the second half of the season after ending the first half with a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets to sit at 27-24-4 on the year. After this game, the Rangers will head on the road again for a matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rangers Trying To Make Playoff Push
Artemi Panarin has a team-high 57 points with 23 goals and 34 assists while Alexis Lafreniere has 32 points with 14 goals and 18 assists on the year. Adam Fox has 40 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 37 points with 11 goals and 26 assists and Will Cuylle added 29 points with 14 goals and 15 assists. Vincent Trocheck also chipped in 37 points with 17 goals and 20 assists for the Rangers this season. In goal for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is 18-19-2 with a 2.87 GAA and a .906 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 8-5-2 with a 3.03 GAA and a .900 save percentage this season. Louis Domingue is also 1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .926 save percentage so far this season.
Why the New York Rangers will win
- The Sabres have lost each of their last eight Saturday games.
- The road team has won five of the last six games between the Rangers and Sabres.
- The road team has covered the puck line in five of the last six games between the Rangers and Sabres.
- The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight Saturday games.
New York Rangers Player Prop Facts
- J.T. Miller has scored at least one goal in each of his last three appearances with his team as a road favorite against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Artemi Panarin has recorded an assist in each of the Rangers’ last 10 games as road favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Artemi Panarin has recorded at least one point in each of the Rangers’ last 11 road games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Artemi Panarin ranks T3rd in the league for multi-goal games (6) this season.
Buffalo Sabres Recap
The Buffalo Sabres will be hoping to start the second half differently than they ended the first with a 6-4 loss at the hands of the Nashville Predators to sit at 22-27-5 entering the break. After this game, Buffalo will welcome the Anaheim Ducks to town.
Sabres Looking To Get Back Into Race Down The Stretch
Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 48 points including a team-leading 26 goals along with 22 assists while Alex Tuch is right behind with 43 points including 19 goals and 24 assists. JJ Peterka has 41 points with 15 goals and 26 assists and Rasmus Dahlin has 42 points with 7 goals and 35 assists. Jason Zucker also added 41 points with 18 goals and 23 assists. Devon Levi has gone 2-7 in net for the Sabres with a 4.12 GAA and an .872 save percentage while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is 18-16-4 with a 3.02 GAA and an .895 save percentage as well on the year. James Reimer is 2-4-1 with a 2.55 GAA and a .908 save percentage.
Why the Buffalo Sabres will win
- The Sabres have won each of their last five games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Rangers have lost four of their last six games as favorites following a road win.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine road games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in 10 of the last 11 games between the Rangers and Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts
- Ryan McLeod has scored at least one goal in each of the Sabres’ last three games as home underdogs.
- Tage Thompson has recorded at least one assist in each of his last five home appearances after playing less than 20 minutes in the Sabres’ last game.
- Tage Thompson has recorded at least one point in each of his last 10 appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents at KeyBank Center.
- Zach Benson has recorded two points against the Rangers this season – equal-most against any opponent.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the last nine games between the Rangers and Sabres at KeyBank Center has gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Each of the Rangers’ last six road games against Eastern Conference opponents has gone OVER the total goals line.
Sabres vs Rangers Prediction
I’m on the Buffalo Sabres in this game. As I alluded to earlier, neither team has won back-to-back games in this series since 2023, and the Buffalo Sabres may have issues, but the loss before the break to Nashville came on the road. The Sabres have been quietly hot at home and I think home ice could matter in this game. The Rangers have had inconsistency issues for the better part of the season as it is and I think the Sabres could take advantage here. Give me Buffalo.