Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers Prediction, 12/23/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2023

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+185) Rangers (-230)

The Buffalo Sabres (14-17-3) are hitting the road to Madison Square Garden on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the New York Rangers (22-7-1). The moneyline on this contest has Buffalo at +185 while New York is sitting at -230. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Buffalo Sabres will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 9-3 victory over the Maple Leafs in the last game they played. Buffalo accounted for 8 penalty minutes in this game. The Sabres had a solid offensive output in this victory. In addition, they had 5 power play opportunities and notched 1 goal. In the matchup, they earned a goal on 9 of the 34 shots they tried.

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Buffalo Sabres opponents have tallied 107 power play opportunities (10th in hockey) and have tallied 21 goals in those chances. The Sabres have seen 1,010 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .885. Buffalo has taken 1,027 shots and is the owner of a shot percentage of 10.0%. When playing at even strength, the Sabres have conceded 95 goals while getting 89 on the offensive side of the ice. Buffalo comes into tonight with 98 power play opportunities and they have notched 14 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 14.29%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 31 points and their points percentage comes in at .456. In reference to their scoring, the Buffalo Sabres have notched 103 goals (13th in the National Hockey League) for the season and have allowed 116.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Devon Levi. Levi has played in 22 contests during his hockey career. He has accumulated a mark of 12-6-2 and he was named the starter in 21 games. Opponents have been able to score 66 goals versus Levi in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 3.14. Levi has seen 639 shots against him and has accrued 573 total saves. His save percentage currently sits at .897 for his 1,260 mins in the crease. In his professional hockey career, Levi has 11 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .524.

In their last game, New York squared up with the Maple Leafs in a game where the Rangers got the win by a final of 5-2. The Rangers had 5 goals of the 36 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 power play attempts in this one and earned 2 out of those attempts.

New York has put up 922 shots (26th in hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 10.85%, while allowing the other team 893 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill percentage of 85.26% on their oppositions 95 power play tries, and their save percentage sits at 90.9%. They have recorded 96 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play rate of 31.25%. The Rangers have tallied 70 goals at even strength and 30 goals (2nd in pro hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have granted a total of 81 goals to be scored by of a combination of 67 goals at even strength and 14 goals while they were shorthanded. During this campaign, the New York Rangers have accounted for 100 goals, 45 points, and a points percentage of .750.

For the opposition you are going to see Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. Opponents are averaging 2.43 goals per contest and he has conceded 415 goals overall. Shesterkin's percentage of quality starts sits at 66.3% and he has qualified for 114 quality starting assignments in his career. He got the starting nod in 172 games and has played for a total of 10,264 minutes. Shesterkin has accumulated a career mark of 111-49-15 and has played in 177 games. He has racked up 4,900 stops out of the 5,315 shots taken, which gives him a save percentage of .922.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo (+185)

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