Madison Square Garden will be hosting an Eastern Conference matchup as the New York Rangers welcome the visiting Buffalo Sabres. NBC Sports Network will air the game, and the opening face-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18.
Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers Odds
With a -200 moneyline, New York comes into the contest as the heavy favorite. The line for Buffalo sits at +170. The Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals and initially opened at -110 for the over and -110 for the under. That line has since shifted however, and it now sits at -105 for the over, -115 for the under.
Losing -1.9 units for moneyline bettors, the Rangers are 23-22 straight up (SU) overall in the 2017-18 season. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 48-34 record that the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Among the team’s 45 games this season, 24 have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 16-11 SU at home this year.
New York’s converted on 19.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.6 percent of all penalties.
New York, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five games. The team has had to kill penalties for just 6.9 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
Averaging 29.3 saves per game with a .924 save percentage, Henrik Lundqvist (20-18-4) has been the top option in goal for the Rangers this year. If head coach Alain Vigneault decides to rest him, however, the Broadway Blueshirts may turn to Ondrej Pavelec (3-8-8 record, .915 save percentage, 2.97 goals against average).
The Broadway Blueshirts will continue to look for leadership from Mats Zuccarello and J.T. Miller. Zuccarello (32 points) has tallied eight goals and 24 assists and has recorded two or more points in six different games this year. Miller has nine goals and 19 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 20 games.
On the other side of the rink, Buffalo is 11-33 straight up (SU) and has lost 21.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 23 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the away team, Buffalo is 5-19 SU so far.
Buffalo has converted on just 12.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 31st in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 78.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Buffalo’s skaters have been penalized only 3.6 times per game in total this season, 3.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 3.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays 10.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Robin Lehner (26.6 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Lehner owns a 9-24-6 record, and has registered a .910 save percentage and 2.94 goals against average this year.
Jack Eichel (18 goals, 23 assists) will lead the attack for the visiting Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Three of New York’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 2-1 in those games and 3-4 overall in shootouts this year.
The total has gone over in three of New York’s last five games.
Over Buffalo’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
Buffalo skaters have dished out the league’s 10th-most hits per game (23.2).
