Sport: NHLPick Selection: Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Rangers: Rangers
I'm laying the price with NEW YORK. It's true that the Rangers have lost six of their last seven games. However, I believe that they're about to turn the corner. They easily beat Montreal two games ago and, despite losing vs. Pittsburgh last time out, they outshot the Penguins by a whopping 44-23 margin on Monday. Tonight should be an excellent spot to pick up another victory as the Sabres are currently among the coldest teams in the league. In fact, Buffalo has lost nine straight games! The Rangers figure to be extremely motivated tonight as the Sabres eliminated them from last season's playoffs and this is the first time that the teams have faced each other since. You may recall that the series was tied 2-2 and the Rangers appeared ready to go up 3-2. However, Buffalo's Chris Drury scored arguably the biggest goal of the series as he tied that game with eight seconds left in regulation. The Sabres would win in OT and go on to take Game 7. The Sabres aren't nearly as good anymore though and Drury is now playing with the Rangers. Note that the Rangers also acquired a quality player in Scott Gomez during the offseason while the Sabres also lost another star in Daniel Briere. In addition to the departures of Briere and Drury, injuries to several key players also have hindered the Sabres lately. Missing from the lineup Saturday were forwards Derek Roy (shoulder), Tim Connolly (groin) and Maxim Afinogenov (groin), and defenseman Jaroslav Spacek (back spasms). Afinogenov and Connolly aren't expected to play tonight while Roy and Spacek are currently listed as day-to-day. The Rangers are 10-5 this season when coming off a divisional game. They're also 20-10 the last 30 times that they played a home game with an over/under line of 5.5. Look for the Rangers to kick the Sabres while they are down, earning a small measure of revenge from last season's playoff defeat. *Personal Favorite
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