Tonight, the New York Rangers will kick off their season and take on the Buffalo Sabers where both teams will be battling in their first game of the season. Both teams are looking to get the season off in the right way with a win tonight, but there are a few things to keep an eye on tonight.
Records
Rangers 0-0-0
Buffalo Sabres 0-0-0
This game is both teams starting matchup for the season. So, their record is the same at no wins, no losses, and no OT.
Venue
This is the home opener for the Buffalo Sabres. This game will be taking place at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Projected Lineup for the Rangers
According to Vince Mercogliano of Lohud, the lineup is projected to look like this:
Offense:
Kreider – Zib – Kakko
Panarin – Chytil – Laf
Cuylle – Trocheck – Wheeler
Goodrow – Bonino – Pitlick
Defense:
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Gustafsson – Schneider
No surprises in the lineup as mentioned above. Although it wasn’t specified, it appears that Igor Shesterkin will be in the net for the Blueshirts tonight, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
What is surprising is that the Rangers are making Jimmy Vesey a healthy scratch. That was a bit surprising with how valuable he can be on the penalty kill. Apparently, Laviolette prefers Tyler Pitlick over Vesey.
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Injuries
New York Rangers
The Rangers are one of the few teams coming into the season with no injuries, which is a fantastic thing for any team to have. Hopefully, nobody gets hurt tonight and the Blurshirts keep being one of the most healthy teams in the NHL this season.
Buffalo Sabres
Casey Mittelstadt (Upper Body Injury)
Mittlestadt is a game-time decision as he has for the past week dealt with an upper-body issue. It has been reported that Mittlestadt is dealing with a shoulder injury, but since he is day-to-day he should be back soon for Buffalo. As for tonight’s game, it is a wait-and-see.
Prediction: New York Rangers 2 – Buffalo Sabers 1 (OT)
The Rangers are still a strong team, but it is going to be a tough matchup facing against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have a lot of exciting youth that is intriguing for both the present and future.
This is going to be a really close and tough game for both sides. Not only will this be a close game, but the ending will be decided in overtime where the Blueshirts will get the last-minute goal to beat the Sabres.
3 Stars of the Game Prediction
1. Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
2. Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers
3. Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabers
Where can you watch the game?
The New York Rangers vs Buffalo Sabres game will air on television on both MSG and MSG-B. The game can also be streamed on fuboTV and DirectTV Stream as well. Keep in mind that the game will be starting a 7 PM EST.