New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 3/31/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Friday, March 31, 2023

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG Network

Odds/Point Spread: Rangers (-150) Sabres (+125)

The Buffalo Sabres (35-31-7) host the New York Rangers (44-20-10) at KeyBank Center on Friday. The moneyline on this game has New York at -150 while Buffalo is sitting at +125. The total comes in at 7.

The New York Rangers were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 6-2 win over the Blue Jackets their last time out. New York recorded 8 penalty minutes in this contest. They also had 2 power play opportunities and were able to net 1 goal. The Rangers had a solid offensive performance in the victory. For the outing, they tallied a score on 6 of the 36 shots they put on goal.

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While at even strength, the Rangers have conceded 158 goals while having 198 on the offensive side of the ice. New York Rangers opponents have totaled 208 power play opportunities (28th in pro hockey) and have come away with 40 goals in those attempts. In terms of their scoring capabilities, the New York Rangers have tallied 249 goals (12th in the National Hockey League) so far this year and have allowed 198. New York has attempted 2,349 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.6%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 98 points and their points percentage is sitting at .662. The Rangers have had 2,179 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .909. New York has accounted for 225 power play opportunities and they have notched 51 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 22.67%.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Igor Shesterkin. For his professional hockey career, Shesterkin has 99 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .669. His save percentage is at .923 in his 8,848 minutes in the crease. Shesterkin has had 4,603 shots taken against him and he has 4,250 total saves. Opponents have been able to score 353 goals versus Shesterkin in his NHL career and his average for goals against per game is 2.39. He has compiled an overall mark of 96-41-14 and he has started in 148 games. Shesterkin has been in goal for 153 games over the course of his hockey career.

In their last outing, Buffalo faced off against the Canadiens in a matchup where the Sabres got the tie by a score of 3-3. The Sabres recorded 3 goals out of the 33 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 4 power play attempts in this matchup and recorded 1 out of those chances.

So far this year, the Buffalo Sabres have earned 260 goals, 77 points, in addition to a points percentage of .527. They have granted a total of 268 goals to be scored by of a combination of 212 goals at even strength and 56 goals while they were shorthanded. The Sabres have accumulated 201 goals at even strength and 59 goals (6th in professional hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have earned 243 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play rate of 24.28%. Buffalo has attempted 2,348 shots (16th in the league) and has a shot percentage of 11.07%, while allowing their opponents 2,411 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 72.82% on their oppositions 206 chances on the power play, and their save percentage comes in at 88.9%.

Across the ice you will find Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease. He has recorded 1,289 stops out of 1,438 shots attempted, giving him a percentage of .896. Luukkonen has compiled a career mark of 19-19-6 and has been in goal for 45 games. He has started in 44 contests and has been on the ice for 2,570 minutes. Luukkonen's percentage of quality starts sits at 45.5% and he has made 20 quality starts in his professional career. His opponents are averaging 3.48 goals/game and he has allowed 149 goals overall.

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

Josh's Pick: Take New York (-150)

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