East Matchup: (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers
| NY Rangers | Buffalo Sabres | |
| Power Home | 0.415 | 0.554 |
| Power Away | 0.498 | 0.601 |
| Power Total | 0.456 | 0.577 |
| Goals For | 242 | 308 |
| Goals Against | 216 | 242 |
| Diff Per Game | 0.317 | 0.805 |
| PowerPlay | 18.5% (8th) | 17.4% (17th) |
| PenaltyKill | 83.8% (12th) | 81.4% (20th) |
| PP+PK | 102.30% | 98.00% |
Key players for Buffalo: Ryan Miller, Tim Connolly, Brian Campbell
Key players for New York: Henrik Lundqvist, Sean Avery, Marek Malik
Analysis: The Sabres at first glance seem the obvious favourites, but the Rangers have been one of the better teams since the All-Star break and should cause troubles for Buffalo. Sean Avery is proving to be the best rental player acquired at the deadline so far. Lundqvist continues to be among the league’s elite.
The Rangers big weak point is on the blueline. They have several big, lumbering defencemen, led by Marek Malik, who are likely to be exposed by the fast, skilled, deep forwards of the Sabres. On the flip side, I’m not convinced the Sabres blueline can handle the likes of Jagr, Nylander and Straka if the series goes longer than a few games. That will put increased pressure on Ryan Miller, though he should be up to the task.
I have to lean in favour of of the Sabres here, and I doubt it would even be close. Lundqvist will likely steal a game or two for the Rangers, but unless they absolutely dominate the Sabres on special teams - which is possible if unlikely - the Rangers will be packing their bags pretty darned quick.
Prediction: Sabres in 6