Free NHL Picks Today: Buffalo Sabres vs New York Rangers 3/11/23

The New York Rangers (36-19-9) are on the road to face the Buffalo Sabres (32-28-4), who will be looking to halt their losing run, at KeyBank Center on Saturday. New York is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens on Thursday.

The Rangers took advantage of their power play opportunities, scoring twice on four shots while holding Montreal without a power play goal. Patrick Kane, Jacob Trouba, and Alexis Lafreniere scored one apiece for the Rangers.

Artemi Panarin had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Igor Shesterkin allowed three goals on 26 shots against (.884%) in the win. Buffalo lost for the third game in a row, falling 10-4 to the Stars on Thursday. Four players found the net for the Sabres. Eric Comrie saved only 39 of 49 shots against (.795%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Rangers won all three games between the teams last season, including a 5-4 (OT) victory in their final meeting in March, their fifth straight win against Buffalo. Frank Vatrano (2G 0A), Lafreniere (1G 1A), and Andrew Copp (0G 2A) each had two points to lead New York.

Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin each had two points (0G 2A) to lead Buffalo. Alexandar Georgiev got the win despite allowing four goals on 17 shots (.764%).

FACING OFF

New York is averaging 3.27 goals per game for the season, 13th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Sabres team that is allowing 3.64 goals a game (27th).

Meanwhile, Buffalo has found the net 3.69 times a game on average, third in the league, and the Rangers are allowing opponents to score 2.81 goals per game (11th).

The Sabres’ 24.88% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Rangers rank ninth with a conversion rate of 22.84%. While efficient on the power play, Buffalo has been less impressive at penalty killing, as the home team owns the league’s second-lowest PK% at 72.83%. New York’s 79.12% ranks 17th in the NHL.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 72 and 67 points this season, Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have been the top skaters for the Rangers. Panarin is among the league leaders with his 53 assists (10th).

In the net, Shesterkin (27-11-7) is New York’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.67 GAA and a .909% save percentage. Tage Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 85 points (5th in the league). He has 42 goals (3rd in the league) and 43 assists in 64 games.

Craig Anderson (9-9-2) has the best goals against average for Buffalo at 2.78. He has a save percentage of .918%. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (15-10-2) has played the most games in net for the Sabres this season. He has a 3.61 GAA and a .893% save percentage.