Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and the Buffalo Sabres will do battle against Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in an Eastern Conference showdown. This one gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 7 and it can be seen live on MSG Network.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Odds
With a -170 moneyline, New York enters the matchup as the substantial favorite. The line for Buffalo sits at +150, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The odds for betting that total at William Hill stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
New York is 26-26 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.1 units this year. That early-season winning percentage is a welcome improvement over the 32-50 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Through 52 regular season matches, 25 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while another 25 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 15-13 SU at home this year.
The Rangers have been able to convert on 23.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 78.0 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 28.6 saves per game with a .907 save percentage, Henrik Lundqvist (10-17-3) has been the top option in goal for New York this year. If head coach David Quinn chooses to give him a breather, however, the team could turn to Alexandar Georgiev (12-12-12 record, .909 save percentage, 3.12 goals against average).
Buffalo has lost 4.8 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 23-31 straight up (SU). A total of 26 of its outings have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Sabres are 8-18 SU as a road team this season.
The Sabres have converted on 18.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully killed off 74.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Linus Ullmark (2.72 goals against average and .914 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Ullmark is averaging 28.5 saves per game and has 16 wins, 17 losses, and three OT losses to his credit.
Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
The Rangers are 10-15 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sabres are 8-8 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
New York is 0-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 1-2 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in three of Buffalo’s last five games.
Buffalo has averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 7.9 giveaways per game (ranked fourth in the league).
New York is ranked 31st this season with 12.9 giveaways per game. That figure has improved lately, however, as it’s averaged 11.4 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.4 giveaways over its last five.