New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 1/1/2018

Monday, January 1, 2018

Citi Field

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New York Rangers travel to Citi Field to play the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, January 1, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Rangers at -185 and the Sabres at +166.

New York has a record of 20-13-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 5-7-2-2. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 120 goals and given up 107 goals for a point differential of +13. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-18-0 and an over/under record of 20-16-0. Buffalo is 10-20-8 including 5-10-2-1 at home this season. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 84 goals and surrendered 126 for a goal differential of -42. Their record against the spread is 10-28-0 while their over/under record is 15-20-0.

Valuable New York Rangers Betting Trends

The New York Rangers are 20-18-0 straight up this year

The New York Rangers are 20-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 10-28-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 15-20-0 against the over/under this season

Key New York Rangers Injuries

12/28/17 LW Chris Kreider Blood Clot is out indefinitely
12/22/17 RW Jesper Fast Quad is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

11/17/17 D Taylor Fedun Lower Body IR (11/15)

Player Spotlight

Kevin Shattenkirk has accumulated 22 total points this season for the Rangers. He has 5 goals this year with 80 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 6%. He has a total of 17 assists on the season and averages 20.3 minutes played per game. Mats Zuccarello averages 19 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 8 goals on 84 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 29 points on the season. Henrik Lundqvist has 17 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Rangers. He has 1,012 shots against him and he's given up 79 goals. He's made 933 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has scored 35 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 15 goals this season with 126 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 20.4 minutes played per game. Evander Kane averages 19.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 15 goals on 158 shots. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 9 wins and 14 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 861 shots against him and he's surrendered 73 goals. He's made 788 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Rangers have 45 total points this season, which ranks them 13th in the NHL. They are 9th in the league in goals scored with 120 while they've given up 107 goals, ranking them 23rd overall. They have had 123 power play opportunities and have scored 23 goals on those chances for a percentage of 19%. That is 18th in the NHL. The Rangers have allowed 126 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.03% for the season. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 5th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 30th in the NHL with a total of 28 points this year. They have 14 power play goals on 113 opportunities for a percentage of 12%. That ranks them 30th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 116 power play opportunities and have given up 21 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. That is 13th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 31st in the league with 84 goals scored while they've given up 126 goals, which is 5th overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.16%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 25th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

New York is 26th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.9%, as they've attempted 2,123 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,305 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.3% as they have 1,616 attempts while they have given up 1,728 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 26th in the league. The Rangers start possessions in the offensive zone 50% of the time, which is 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 1,129 face-off wins compared to 1,109 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That ranks them 19th in the league. On defense New York has 766 hits and they have blocked 577 shots from the opposition, putting them 11th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 8th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 47.5% for the season, which is 21st in the NHL. They have 1,172 face-off wins compared to 1,117 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.2%. That is 9th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 896 hits and they have blocked 536 shots from the opposition, which is 24th in the league. Buffalo is 24th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.1% as they've attempted 2,058 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,225 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.2% ranks 23rd as they have 1,571 attempts while they have given up 1,689 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Rangers/Sabres NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo +166

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