New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres

By Sam Batz

The New York Rangers are set to take on state rivals the Buffalo Sabres, for their first time this season, on Saturday, March 11th (5:00 PM EST, NHLPP/ESPN+). Last season, the Rangers swept the Sabres 3-0-0, with all three games ending in a 1 goal margin of victory for New York. Saturday is Buffalo’s first shot at redemption, but will not be the last. New York and Buffalo are slated for two more matchups after Saturday’s contest, and each side will want to set the tempo for the series by getting the first win under their belts. Currently, the Rangers are favored by a -146 moneyline, while the Sabres are priced at +132. 

New York Rangers Breakdown (-146)

The New York Rangers are 36-19-9 with 81 points through 64 games. They have 18 games left in the regular season, but according to FiveThirtyEight, the Rangers can sit back and coast to the playoffs. The statistical analyses experts are giving New York a 99% chance to see the postseason, and are projected to finish the campaign with 103 points. The Rangers are currently 3rd in the Metropolitan Division, 6th in the Eastern Conference, and tied for 9th in the NHL. New York has faltered as of late, but showed enough earlier this season to still be considered a top-tier team. 

The Rangers went 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, but are coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. The win snapped a two game losing streak and pushed New York over the 80 point threshold. In their last 10 games, the Rangers averaged 2.7 goals for and 3.7 goals against. They now face a Buffalo side who knows how to score, averaging 3.69 goals per game, and the third most goals (236) in the league. New York needs to get back into goal scoring form if they want to keep up with the Sabres. 

Buffalo Sabres Breakdown (+132)

The Buffalo Sabres are 32-28-4 with 68 points through 64 games. They are 6th in the competitive Atlantic Division, but are just 2-points out of the top-five. The Sabres are 12th in the Eastern Conference, 17 points behind the Rangers, and are being given just an 8% chance to make the playoffs. Buffalo would tell you there’s still hope, but as the waning embers of the regular season begin to fade, so do the Sabres chances to compete for the Stanley Cup. Buffalo would love nothing more than to win-out the remaining games of their season, but even if they did, it still might not be enough to send them through to the playoffs. 

The Sabres haven’t done themselves any favors going 4-6-0 in their last 10 games. They need as many points as possible, but after dropping three games in a row, are growing increasingly more desperate. Buffalo scores goals, but unfortunately, they allow nearly just as many. With 233 goals against, the Sabres have conceded the most goals in their division. Buffalo also doesn’t defend their home as well as they would like, going 13-18-2 at home (win-rate: 39.4%), and could struggle against the Rangers who are winning 59.4% of their games on the road. 

Rangers vs. Sabres: Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
New York Rangers	N/A	Ov 6.5 (-120)	-146
Buffalo Sabres	N/A	Un 6.5 (+109)	+132

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Rangers vs. Sabres: Betting Trends

New York Rangers 33-31 19-13 (Away) 17-17 (vs. East) 30-32-2 5-4-1 27-14-4 (as Favorites) 13-4-1 (Favorites Away)

Betting Trend ATS (Season) ATS (Home/Away) ATS (Conference) O/U (Season) O/U (Last 10) ML (Favorite/Underdog) ML (Home/Away)

Buffalo Sabres 36-28 15-18 (Home) 17-16 (vs. East) 37-26-1 7-3 21-22-3 (as Underdogs) 6-12-2 (Underdogs Home)

Rangers vs. Sabres: Season Stats

New York Rangers (36-19-9) 81 209 (13th) 180 (10th) +29 3.27 (13th) 2.81 (11th) 17-11-4 (53.1%) 19-8-5 (59.4%)

Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate)

Buffalo Sabres (32-28-4) 68 236 (3rd) 233 (27th) +3 3.69 (3rd) 3.64 (27th) 13-18-2 (39.4%) 19-10-2 (61.3%)

Rangers vs. Sabres: Key Players

New York Rangers – Left Wing, Artemi Panarin: Born in the USSR, the 31-year old left wing leads the Rangers with 72 player points (19 goals, 53 assists). He has been a passing machine, averaging 1.20 assists in his last 5 games, and 0.83 assists per game on the season. I predict Panarin records at least 1 assist against Buffalo. 

Buffalo Sabres – Right Wing, Tage Thompson: Standing at 6’6”, 220 lbs, Thompson is an imposing presence on the ice. He leads the Sabres with 85 player points (42 goals, 43 assists) and averaged 1.4 points per game in his last 10. Thompson averages 1.33 points per game on the season, and I predict he will record 2 points against New York on Saturday. 

Rangers vs. Sabres: Prediction

Take the Buffalo Sabres (+132) to win this game. It will be a high-scoring affair, but in a battle of offensive firepower, I have to go with the Sabres. Buffalo has 5 players with 20+ goals, while the Rangers have just 2. The Sabres also have much more to play for, in terms of playoff implications, and although they’ve lost 3 in a row, Buffalo will believe they can turn it around against their state rivals who have shown some vulnerability in recent games. The New York Rangers travel well, and Buffalo is 2-3 in their last 5 home games, but after the Sabres embarrassing 10-4 loss to Dallas on Thursday, they will be fired up to lock it down and get the 2 points they desperately need. 

Prediction: Buffalo Sabres (+132) Moneyline and the Over (6.5). Final Score: 5-4 

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