The New York Rangers will travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Thursday night in an all-New York matchup in the NHL. Buffalo is getting its season underway, while New York already has one loss in the books. Will the Rangers get back to .500 for the season, or will the Sabres win their opener at the Rangers’ expense? Continue reading to get my Rangers vs Sabres prediction below.
Our Rangers vs Sabres Pick
- Pick: Sabres Moneyline
- Confidence: ★★☆☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres
- Date & Time: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Rangers vs Sabres Odds
| Odds | Line |
|---|---|
| Moneyline | Rangers −115 | Sabres −105 |
| Puckline | Rangers −1.5 (+200) | Sabres +1.5 (−275) |
| Total | 6.5 |
Key Storylines
Recent form
The Rangers opened their season with a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They were blanked and wasted a great effort from Igor Shesterkin, who made 27 saves on 28 shots. Buffalo is entering this game fully rested, having not played yet in the 2025-26 season. Their roster had time to heal, recalibrate, and prepare before the season’s first puck drop.
Goaltending
Shesterkin remains the anchor in net for the Rangers despite the loss in their opener. His performance was solid. He will need some goals from his skaters for New York to have a chance to turn his goaltending into wins. Buffalo’s goaltender was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for most of their games last season. He is back this year and will look to get the Sabres off to a strong start for the year.
Key skaters
On the Rangers side, Artemi Panarin and J.T. Miller are cleared to play, and they’ll be critical in driving offense. Panarin’s creativity, Miller’s two-way game, and the supporting cast will need to click early. Buffalo has Tage Thompson as a focal point offensively. He was their goals leader last season with 44 goals and remains an offensive weapon.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop Type | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Artemi Panarin (NYR) | Points (G + A) | Over 1.5 |
| Tage Thompson (BUF) | Goals | Over 0.5 |
Betting Trends
- The Rangers are 0-1 straight up and on the puckline heading into this contest.
- This is the first road game of the season for the Rangers.
- New York’s first game went under the total.
- This is the first game of the season for the Sabres. Thus, they do not have any moneyline or puckline trends to evaluate this season.
Rangers vs Sabres Model Projection
Score Projection: Sabres 4 – Rangers 3
Win Probability: Sabres 55%, Rangers 45%
Final Thoughts
The Rangers are slight favorites on the road in this game, with the expectation that they will bounce back from a loss in their season opener. But I am going to go the other way and back the Sabres to win at home. Buffalo went 23-15-3 at home last season and they will continue to put up a fight here against a Rangers team that I just don’t think is all that good right now. The Sabres should start their season with a win at home.
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