Thursday’s NHL matchup between the New York Rangers (8-2-1) and the Buffalo Sabres (5-7-1) at Madison Square Garden sees the Rangers favored at home (-198 moneyline odds to win) against the Sabres (+164). The game begins at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+.

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Rangers vs. Sabres Betting Lines

• Favorite: Rangers (-198)
• Underdog: Sabres (+164)
• Over/under: 6.5

Rangers vs. Sabres Quick Facts

• New York’s games this season have gone over 6.5 goals five of 11 times.
• In 46.2% of Buffalo’s previous games this season (6/13), the teams combined to score over Thursday’s over/under of 6.5 goals.
• The combined goals scored average of these two clubs, 7.2, is 0.6 above Thursday’s over/under.
• These two clubs give up 5.5 goals per game combined, 1.0 fewer than this game’s over/under.

Rangers Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Rangers Season Stat Insights

• The Rangers’ 44 goals this season make them the 10th-best scoring team in the league.
• On defense, New York is the strongest squad in league action, giving up 24 total goals (only 2.2 per game).
• With a +20 goal differential, they’re ranked second-best in the NHL.
• The nine power-play goals New York has put up this season have come on 32 chances, seventh-best in the NHL.
• The Rangers have the NHL’s sixth-best power-play conversion rate at 28.13%.
• New York has scored a total of two shorthanded goals this season.
• The Rangers kill 92.31% of opponent power plays, currently the second-best penalty-kill percentage in the NHL.
• The Rangers win the 10th-highest percentage of faceoffs in the NHL at 51.4%.
• New York scores on 12.8% of its shots as a team, ranking fifth in the league.
• The Rangers have yet to shut out an opponent this season, averaging 20.6 hits and 15.7 blocked shots per game.

Rangers Moneyline

• New York has gone 7-3 as the oddsmakers’ favorite this season.
• The Rangers have a record of 3-1 this season while playing with their moneyline odds shorter than -198.
• According to the moneyline odds, New York has a 66.4% chance of winning this contest.

Rangers Leaders

• Artemi Panarin: nine goals and eight assists
• Mika Zibanejad: two goals and eight assists
• Alexis Lafreniere: five goals and five assists
• Igor Shesterkin: 6-2-1 record, .933 save percentage, 20 goals conceded

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Sabres Stats, Moneyline & Leaders

Sabres Season Stats Insights

• The Sabres have scored 41 goals this season (3.2 per game) to rank 14th in the league.
• Buffalo has conceded 43 total goals (3.3 per game) to rank 20th.
• Their -2 goal differential ranks 16th in the league.
• Buffalo has put up five power-play goals this season, which ranks 28th in the NHL (on 39 chances).
• The Sabres’ power-play conversion rate (12.82%) ranks 31st in the league.
• Buffalo has scored two shorthanded goals this season (second among all NHL squads).
• The 73.81% of opponent power plays the Sabres kill is the 24th-ranked penalty-kill percentage in the league.
• The Sabres have the 27th-ranked faceoff win rate in the NHL (46.4%).
• The 10.8% shooting percentage Buffalo has compiled ranks 18th in the league.
• The Sabres have not had a shutout victory yet this season.

Sabres Moneyline Insights

• The Sabres have been listed as the underdog eight times this season, and upset their opponent three times.
• Buffalo has not been a bigger moneyline underdog than the +164 odds on them winning this game.
• The Sabres have a 37.9% chance to win this game (implied from the moneyline).

Sabres Leaders

• Tage Thompson: eight goals and seven assists
• Alex Tuch: four goals and seven assists
• John-Jason Peterka: six goals and five assists
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 4-4-1 record, .904 save percentage, 26 goals allowed

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