The Buffalo Sabres, led by Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner, are preparing to take the ice against Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in an Eastern Conference showdown. MSG Western New York will broadcast the matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 4.
Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers Odds
Buffalo (+100) is entering this one as the underdog to New York (-120), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
Buffalo is 7-7 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. Seven of its outings have gone over the total, while five have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Sabres team is 3-4 SU on the road.
The Sabres have found the net on 21.2 percent of their power play opportunities thus far. That’s a nice improvement from last season, when they were ranked 20th in the league by converting on 19.1 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has weakened a bit since last year, however, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 77.9 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 22nd overall last year) to 77.3 percent this year..
Averaging 29.2 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Carter Hutton (4-6-1) has been the best option in goal for Buffalo this season. If Buffalo decides to rest him, however, the team may roll with Linus Ullmark (3-1-1), who has a .934 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the rink, New York is 5-8 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 13 regular season matches, eight of its games have gone under the total, while five have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 3-3 SU as the home team so far this year.
The Rangers have converted on just 19.0 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Henrik Lundqvist (30.9 saves per game) has been the top netminder in goal for the Rangers. Lundqvist has three wins, seven losses, and one OT loss and has recorded a .917 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- After going 3-5 in games decided by a shootout last year, the Rangers are off to a 3-0 start in shootouts this season. The Sabres were 1-2 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in three of their last five matchups.
- Buffalo skaters notched 21.5 hits per game last season, while the Rangers forced 20.9 hits per contest.
