New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction & Picks - NHL

Prediction published on 1/8/26, 3:08 PM  by Taavi Pailk in NHL Picks

The Buffalo Sabres aim to kick off a new winning streak on Thursday night when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped Buffalo’s 10-game winning run. However, Lindy Ruff’s men bounced back on Tuesday by beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-3, and now have a good opportunity to build momentum again.

The Rangers are having one of the strangest seasons in U.S. sports history, regularly losing at home while leading the NHL with 15 road wins. In 19 games at MSG, the Blueshirts have just five victories. Injuries will make it even tougher for them to improve their home record on Thursday.

While forward J.T. Miller was cleared for contact this week and is nearing his return, the Rangers lost goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox in Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. Both players are expected to miss several games after they were placed on Injured Reserve.

Despite the teams’ struggles on home ice, Shesterkin has posted a solid 17-12-4 record this season and remains among the NHL’s best goalies. Fox operates as the Rangers’ No. 1 defenseman and has contributed massively on the offensive end, notching 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in 30 appearances.