Two teams in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings hit the ice when the New York Rangers (20-18-6, 14th in conference) host the Buffalo Sabres (22-15-4, ninth) at Madison Square Garden on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
New York lost 3-2 in overtime at home its last time out on Jan. 5 against the Utah Mammoth.
In its last game on Jan. 6, Buffalo secured a 5-3 home victory against the Vancouver Canucks.
Ahead of watching this matchup, here’s everything you need to know about Thursday’s action on the ice.
Watch Rangers vs. Sabres on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres odds and betting lines
NHL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 5:52 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Rangers (-110)Underdog: Sabres (-110)Over/under: 6Rangers vs. Sabres game info and start timeDate: Thursday, January 8, 2026Time: 7 p.m. ETTV channel: ESPN+Live stream: Watch on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)Live stream: Watch on ESPN+
Watch Rangers vs. Sabres on Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Rangers stats and trendsNew York has been victorious in 11 of the 22 games it’s played as the moneyline favorite this season.In 23 games with moneyline oddds shorter than -110, the Rangers have 11 wins.The moneyline odds say New York has a 52.4% chance of winning this game.New York and its opponent have combined to score more than 6 goals in 16 of 44 games this season.Over the last 10 games, the Rangers have earned 60.0% of the possible points with a 4-4-2 record.They have put up 26 goals during that stretch.On the defensive side, the Rangers have given up 2.4 goals per game (24 total) in those 10 matchups.Sabres stats and trendsThe Sabres have been the underdog 22 times this season, and upset their opponent in 11, or 50.0%, of those games.Buffalo has won 11 of its 24 games when it is the underdog by -110 or longer on the moneyline.Oddsmakers have implied, based on the moneyline for this matchup, that the Sabres have a 52.4% chance to win.In 58.5% of Buffalo’s previous games this season (24/41), the teams combined to score over Thursday’s over/under of 6 goals.Over the past 10 contests, the Sabres have gone 9-1-0 (95.0% of possible points).They have averaged 3.4 goals per game (34 total) over that time.Defensively, the Sabres have given up 20 goals (2.0 per game) in those 10 matchups.