Sabres vs Rangers Prediction, Picks, Odds & Starting Goalies (April 8)

• The Sabres vs Rangers odds have Buffalo as a -140 road favorite at Madison Square Garden
• Both Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Igor Shesterkin are confirmed and playing the best hockey of their seasons
• See my Sabres vs Rangers prediction, picks, odds and starting goalies for Wednesday afternoon

Buffalo (47-23-8, 102 points) is tied with Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic Division and coming off a 4-2 win over the Lightning on Monday that snapped a two-game skid. The Sabres are laying -140 on the road in the latest NHL odds.

The Rangers (33-36-9, 75 points) have been officially eliminated but are 5-1-0 over their last six home games and just dismantled Washington 8-1 on Sunday. New York is getting +120 at home, where the bigger story is the goalie matchup.

Puck drop is at 4:00 pm ET from Madison Square Garden. My Sabres vs Rangers prediction and picks are below.

Sabres vs Rangers Prediction

• Total bet: Under 6.5 Goals (-118 at BetMGM)

The Under is the play for my Sabres vs Rangers prediction. The over has failed to hit in each of Buffalo’s last four road games against teams with a losing record, and the Rangers have stayed under the total in each of their last four games as an underdog. New York’s 8-1 outburst against Washington was the outlier, not the trend.

Both confirmed starters are dialed in. UPL has gone 9-2-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .921 save percentage in 12 games since the Olympic break. Shesterkin has been even better lately with a 1.51 GAA and .938 save percentage over his last four starts. Two elite goalies playing this well makes 6.5 a high bar.

Sabres vs Rangers Key Stats

Both teams allow exactly 2.74 goals per game with nearly identical shots-against profiles, which is the foundation of the under play.

Buffalo has the offensive firepower at 3.40 goals per game, but the Rangers control the faceoff dot at 54.4% (compared to Buffalo’s 45.8%) and have the better power play at 24.9%. New York’s structure should slow this game down.

Sabres vs Rangers Picks

I’ve come up with two Sabres vs Rangers picks, one shot prop from each side.

• Alex Tuch Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+107 at DraftKings)

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I’m starting my Sabres vs Rangers picks with Alex Tuch to go over his shots on goal total. Tuch has cleared 2.5 shots in five of his last seven games, averaging 3.14 per contest in that stretch.

He’s coming off a six-shot night in Monday’s win over Tampa Bay and is playing the best hockey of his season as Buffalo pushes for the division.

• Vincent Trocheck Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-138 at Bet365)

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Wrapping up my Sabres vs Rangers picks, I like Vincent Trocheck to clear his shot total. Trocheck has gone over 1.5 shots in five of his last six games against Buffalo, averaging 2.67 per contest in those matchups.

Our projection model has him at 2.3 shots tonight. The juice is steep, but a 5-of-6 trend with a clean projection backing it is worth the price.

Sabres vs Rangers Odds

The interactive widget above will update automatically as the Sabres vs Rangers odds move throughout the day.

Buffalo is -140 at bet365 and the Rangers are +120 at BetMGM, an implied probability of about 45.5% on the home dog. The puck line has BUF -1.5 at +172 (theScore) and NYR +1.5 at -200 (Fanatics).

The total is split: bet365 has the over 6 at -125 while Caesars has the under 6.5 at -118, so the half-goal cushion at Caesars is the better number for the under.

The NHL playoff bracket race is heating up with both Buffalo and Tampa Bay still tied for the Atlantic crown.

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Odds as of Apr.8, 2026. Check out all the best NHL betting apps for Wednesday Night Hockey.

Sabres vs Rangers Starting Goalies

Both goalies are confirmed for Wednesday afternoon. Luukkonen and Shesterkin are arguably the two hottest netminders in the league right now, which is the foundation of my under play.

Luukkonen vs Shesterkin Stats

Luukkonen has been excellent since the Olympic break, going 9-2-1 with a 2.25 GAA and .921 save percentage in 12 games. He gets his fifth start in the last six for Buffalo as Alex Lyon has cooled off.

Shesterkin has been on another level lately. He’s won three of his last four with a 1.51 GAA and .938 save percentage in that stretch, including a 20-of-21 effort in Sunday’s 8-1 win over Washington. With both goalies playing this well, scoring chances are going to be at a premium.