Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers Prediction, 1/8/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: MSG Network

The New York Rangers (20-18-6) will go up against the Buffalo Sabres (22-15-4) at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

The Buffalo Sabres were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 5-3 victory against the Canucks in their previous contest . Buffalo accounted for 8 penalty minutes in this outing. In addition, they had 1 chance with the advantage but weren't able to score. The Sabres had a good offensive outing and it showed in this win. For the game, they converted 5 of the 20 shots they put on net.

In reference to their scoring capabilities, the Buffalo Sabres have accounted for 127 goals (19th in the league) so far this season and have surrendered 129. For the current campaign, they have racked up 48 points and their points percentage is sitting at .585. Buffalo has 123 power play chances and they have tallied 22 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 17.89%. When playing at even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 112 goals while having 105 themselves. Buffalo has taken 1,169 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.9%. The Sabres have had 1,208 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .893. Buffalo Sabres opponents have 112 power play tries (27th in the league) and have earned 17 goals in those chances.

The man in goal for this game is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Opponents have racked up 491 goals against Luukkonen in his professional hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.98. Luukkonen has been involved in 170 games throughout his pro hockey career. His save percentage is at .898 in his 8,251 minutes in the crease. He has accumulated a win-loss mark of 79-71-16 and he has gotten the start in 165 games. Over the course of his career, Luukkonen has accounted for 88 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .533. Luukkonen has seen 4,829 shots taken against him and has recorded 4,338 saves.

Their last time out, New York opposed the Mammoth in a game where the Rangers ended up losing by a mark of 3-2. They had 4 opportunities on the power play in this one and recorded 2 out of those opportunities. The Rangers scored 2 goals out of the 24 shots on goal they tried.

The Rangers have scored 90 goals at even strength and 24 goals (18th in the league) while on the power play. New York has put up 1,131 shots (23rd in professional hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 10.08%, while allowing their opponents 1,254 shots. This season, the New York Rangers are sitting with 114 goals, 46 points, and a points percentage of .523. They have allowed 120 goals to be scored by way of 95 goals at even strength and 25 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have a total of 108 chances on the power play and they have a power play rate of 22.22%. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 80.47% on their opponents 128 power play tries, and their save percentage comes in at 90.4%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Jonathan Quick defending the net. Quick has compiled a career mark of 407-296-90 and has played in 815 contests. Quick's quality start percentage sits at 52.9% and he has made 420 quality starting assignments in his career. He has gathered 20,002 saves out of 21,965 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .911. Opponents are averaging 2.47 goals per contest and he has relinquished 1,963 goals altogether. He has started in 794 contests and has played for a total of 42,639 minutes.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo

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