What: New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks And Best Bets
When: Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
Two troubled franchises from the Empire State are getting together in the Wednesday NHL picks as the New York Rangers visit the Buffalo Sabres.
In their last game, the Sabres blew a 5-3 third-period lead and fell 6-5 in a shootout to the Detroit Red Wings. That was Buffalo’s seventh loss in a row. Meanwhile, the Rangers are losers of two straight and are 2-8 straight up through their last 10 games.
In this battle of bumbling teams, oddsmakers are leaning toward the visitors. It’s the Rangers who are set at -140 away favorites. Let’s look at the latest line for this Rangers vs Sabres game in the NHL picks. Remember, odds are always subject to change.
 | Puck Line | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Rangers | -1.5 (+178) | -140 | O 6 (-117) |
| Buffalo Sabres | +1.5 (-215) | +120 | U 6 (-103) |
There are only two games on a very light Tuesday NHL schedule. We’ve checked the current NHL odds and selected the New York Rangers vs the Buffalo Sabres as being one of the best bets worth taking in the NHL picks. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump right into our betting prediction.
When checking the NHL betting lines at any of the leading Vegas sports betting sites, you’ll find that despite their recent struggles, the Rangers are still considered a top contender in the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup odds. The Sabres haven’t qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs over the past 13 seasons.
The Rangers are hitting the road on the heels of a five-game homestand in which they went 2-3 SU. New York is 0-4 SU over the club’s past four road games. The Rangers are 2-1 SU in the last three games vs Buffalo and 4-2 SU over the past six meetings. At Buffalo, New York is 1-3 SU in the past four games.
Overall, New York is 12-5 SU in the last 17 games against Buffalo. Against Atlantic Division opposition, the Rangers are 7-2 SU through the past nine games. Buffalo is 0-6 SU in the team’s last six home games. The Sabres are 1-7 SU in the last eight meetings with squads from the Metropolitan Division.
Four of Buffalo’s last six games have gone over. The over also came in four times in Buffalo’s last five games facing Eastern Conference opposition. On the other hand, each of the past eight meetings between the Sabres and Rangers have gone under. Four of New York’s past six games went under.
Buffalo is 5-10-3 as the betting underdog. The NHL picks display that at home, the Sabres are 6-8-3 SU and 8-9 against the puck line. The Rangers are 13-10-1 SU as the betting choice. New York is 7-5 SU and ATS on the road this season.
Already having dealt away captain Jacob Trouba in the past week, there are rumours bubbling to the surface regarding veteran NHL defenseman Marcus Pettersson (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Ivan Provorov (Columbus Blue Jackets) moving to Broadway. Talk about the future of Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is also prevalent.
While New York has some high-powered offense – the line of Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenierere has combined for an NHL-high 19 goals at 5-on-5 – defense is another issue. The Rangers rank among the worst in the NHL for giving up high-danger scoring chances (28th in the league) and rush chances (6.04 per game, 30th in NHL).
In Monday’s 2-1 loss to Chicago, the Rangers gave up 17 scoring chances off turnovers. Over the first 17 games of the season, the Rangers owned the NHL’s third-best goals against. In the past 10 games, they are 31st in the league in this category.
The more things change, the more they stay the same in Buffalo. During this seven-game slide, the Sabres have allowed 27 goals, including 11 in the past two games. They’ve held first-period leads in five of the losses and carried a scoreboard advantage into the third period of two of the setbacks.
Buffalo’s power play is in a 1-for-24 slump over the past nine games. The Sabres are hoping to have defenseman Mattias Samuelsson back in the lineup. He’s been out since Nov. 11 with a lower-body injury. However, captain Rasmus Dahlin (back spasms) won’t be playing.
It truly is a battle of bad vs worse in this game. Buffalo is tied with Nashville for the longest active losing streak in the league. At 2-8, the Rangers are the NHL’s worst team over the past 10 games.
Buffalo has picked up just three out of a possible 14 points during the club’s current skid. They managed to blow a lead to a Detroit club that had lost five in a row. So as much as the Rangers are stumbling, they still look to be the best bet over the Sabres in the Wednesday NHL picks.
