Madison Square Garden plays host to an intriguing matchup as the Buffalo Sabres face off against the New York Rangers. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 24, and fans at home can catch this Eastern Conference matchup live on MSG Network.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Odds
Buffalo (-125) is being tabbed as the favorite over New York (+105) and the Over/Under (O/U) is placed at 7 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -105 money on the over and -115 on the under.
Buffalo is 8-2 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.5 units this year. Six of its matches have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. As an away team this season, the Sabres are 3-2 SU.
Buffalo has impressively converted on 30.0 percent of its power play opportunities so far. That’s a good improvement from last year, when it was ranked 16th in the NHL by scoring on 19.5 percent of its extra-man opportunities. Its penalty kill has fallen off drastically, however, as the team has gone from successfully defending 80.8 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 12th overall last year) to 76.7 percent this year.
Buffalo, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 3.5 times per game in the 2019-20 season. Last year, that number was the second-lowest mark in the league at 3.1 penalties per game. The team served an average of 7.0 penalty minutes per game last year and is right around that same amount this season.
Averaging 27.7 saves per game with a .943 save percentage, Carter Hutton (6-0) has been the top option in goal for Buffalo this year. If head coach Ralph Krueger chooses to rest him, however, Buffalo could turn to Linus Ullmark (2-2-1), who has a .913 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average this year.
Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Sabres. Eichel (14 points) is up to six goals and eight assists, and has recorded multiple points in three different games. Dahlin has one goal and nine assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in six games).
Over on the other bench, New York is 2-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Four of its contests have gone under the total, while three have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 1-3 SU at home this year.
New York has killed off a remarkable 77.4 percent of all penalties, compared to 78.1 percent in 2018-19 (when it was ranked 27th overall). It has found the net on 20.8 percent of its power plays this year after converting on 19.5 percent (ranked 17th in league) last season.
The Rangers have been penalized 5.0 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.1, the worst mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.4 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 10.9 minutes per matchup this year.
Henrik Lundqvist has denied 33.8 shots per game as the top choice in goal for New York. Lundqvist has one win and three losses to his credit and has maintained a subpar .906 save percentage and 3.57 goals against average this year.
Mika Zibanejad (four goals, seven assists) will lead the attack for the Rangers.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- After putting up a 5-3 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Buffalo is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. New York went 6-5 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- The total has gone under in three of New York’s last five games.
- New York has allowed 4.0 goals per game (while managing just 1.8 per contest) in its last five contests (the team is 0-5 SU over that stretch).
- Buffalo skaters notched 19.1 hits per game last season, while the Broadway Blueshirts accounted for 26.0 hits per contest.
