New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres, Picks and Prediction, Thursday, October 9, 2025
Use Code WWWC New York (0-1-0) will be trying to pick up their first win of the season when they visit KeyBank Center on Thursday night to face Buffalo (0-0-0) at 7 PM. ET. Read on to find out which team picks up the win in this Rangers vs. Sabres prediction. If you’re looking to cross-check the books and put some cash in your pocket, check out our free NHL picks!
Buffalo and New York have split their last 10 meetings.
**This preview was written before Wednesday’s game was played.**
New York Trying To Bounce Back From Loss
The Rangers went into last season with high expectations, but they finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs, which led to the team bringing in Mike Sullivan as their new head coach.
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Things didn’t go as they hoped in their first game, with the team losing to a Pittsburgh team that had a worse record last season. They will try to bounce back from the loss and pick up their first win of the season when they play on Thursday.
New York averaged 3.11 goals per game last season. They failed to score a goal in their first game despite taking 25 shots.
Artemi Panarin led the Rangers in points last season, with 89 points from 37 goals and 52 assists. Mika Zibanejad finished with 62 points from 20 goals and 42 assists, while Adam Fox has 61 points from 10 goals and 51 assists.
New York gave up 3.11 goals per game last season, which was 19th in the league. They gave up three goals in their first game.
Igor Shesterkin saved 27 of the 28 shots that he faced. He is 10-3-2 in 15 games against Buffalo, with a 2.59 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Buffalo Trying To End Playoff Drought
The Sabres finished seventh in the Atlantic Division last season and missed the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. They didn’t make any major moves in the offseason, opting to rely on the improvement of their young stars, who they hope will put an end to their playoff drought
Buffalo averaged 3.23 goals per game last season, which was 10th in the league. They were 24th in power play conversions.
Tage Thompson led Buffalo with 72 points from 44 goals and 28 assists. J.J. Peterkar finished with 68 points from 27 goals and 41 assists, while Rasmus Dahlin had 68 points from 17 goals and 51 assists.
Buffalo gave up 3.50 goals per game last season, which was 29th in the league. They were 23rd in the league in penalty kills.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was 24-24-5 in 55 games last season, with a 3.20 GAA and a .887 save percentage. He is 3-3-2 in eight games against New York, with a 2.13 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
Rangers vs. Sabres Pick
Money Line Pick for Rangers vs. Sabres
- New York Rangers ML (4 Units)
The Rangers were the better team last season, and they have the edge here. They have a lot of talent on offense and will also improve on special teams. The Sabres weren’t very good at killing penalties last season, and they were also one of the worst defensive teams in the league. With no significant upgrades made to improve their defense, they will have a hard time slowing down the Rangers.
Buffalo won't be as successful offensively because they didn’t play well offensively in the preseason, and also struggled at converting power play chances. The Rangers killed 100 percent of their penalties in their first game, and they also played well defensively, with two of the three goals they gave up coming against an empty net, so expect them to keep Buffalo’s offense in check. Take New York on the money line.
Over/Under Pick for Rangers vs. Sabres
- Over (4 Units)
The Rangers played over the total in four of their last six games, while the Sabres played over the total in two of their last three games. New York averaged 3.11 goals per game last season and failed to convert a penalty in their last three games. They are facing a team that killed 78 percent of their penalties in their last three games and gave up 3.50 goals per game. The Sabres averaged 3.23 goals per game last season and converted 18.8 percent of their penalties. They are facing a team that killed 86 percent of their penalties in their last three games and gave up 3.11 goals per game. Expect these teams to score enough goals to push the score over the total. The Rangers and Sabres played over the total in three of their last four meetings.
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