Two rising New York sports franchises, the New York Rangers (1-4-1) and Buffalo Sabres (3-3-1), are ready for a rematch Thursday night. It was a tough Tuesday night bout, which saw the Sabres beat the Rangers 3-2.
Buffalo is a slight favorite at (-113) while the Rangers are (-103). The puck drops at 7:00 P.M. Eastern.
New York Rangers Betting Preview
The Rangers are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode and find themselves at the bottom of the East Division standings. The Rangers had the second overall pick in 2019 and the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. They picked forwards Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière, respectively.
New York has had a tough time replacing legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who left for the Washington Capitals in free agency but is sitting out the 2021 season after open-heart surgery. Through five games, Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev haven’t looked comfortable in net. Shesterkin is their primary starter with four games started posting an .886 save percentage while having a 2.98 GAA.
Shesterkin has been confirmed as Thursday’s starter.
The offense for the Rangers hasn’t been there either. The second game of the season against the Islanders, where they won 5-0, was their last win. The Rangers haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since then, and they also have allowed at least three goals in every game this season, save for the season-opening 4-0 shutout against the Islanders.
Kakko and Lafrenière have combined four one point this season. While it’s tough for any young player to make the jump from juniors or from European leagues to the NHL, when those players were taken with a Top 3 pick, the pressure is that much higher.
One area the Rangers must watch out for is Buffalo’s red-hot power play. The Sabres have converted on 30.8% of their power play opportunities this season, so limiting penalties is a must to pull the upset.
Buffalo Sabres Betting Preview: Get Jack Some Help
The Sabres haven’t done a good job of surrounding their star forward Jack Eichel with any kind of offensive, defensive, or goalie help throughout his career. Eichel leads the team with eight points (one goal and seven assists). The stat that jumps out is his +/- is -4; while we know he can score, his linemates continue to drag his production down.
Bringing in former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall was supposed to spark both of their games, but he’s struggled to adjust to his new digs, with just one goal this season as well.
The Sabres have won three of their last five games, and each was a one-goal win.
While it’s unconfirmed at this time, Linus Ullmark is the expected starter for Buffalo Thursday night. Ullmark has a 2-1-1 record this season, coupled with a .912 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA.
The Pick Is In
New York busts out of their early-season funk Thursday night to snap their four-game losing skid. Take the Rangers, and watch for Lafrenière to score his first career goal.
Betting Pick: New York Rangers (-103).
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