The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers face off at Madison Square Garden in a huge Metropolitan Division clash that is sure to get the sports bettors buzzing.
With the Rangers boasting a pretty decent home record and the Penguins riding a nice four-game win streak, this game will unquestionably be a battle of momentum versus consistency.
To help you make the most of your bets, we’ve got expert analysis and a bet you’ll want to throw on your bet slip.
The Rangers are favored at -190 on the moneyline, while the Penguins come in as moderate underdogs at +155. Just looking at their records, this is no surprise to us.
The over/under is set at 6.5 goals, with a slight lean toward the over at -115. That’s telling us that the bookmakers think this should be a relatively high-scoring game and with the stars taking the ice tonight, we can’t help but agree.
The Penguins have found their groove as of late with 4 back-to-back wins, including an exciting OT win against Florida a few nights ago.
Despite this, they’ve struggled defensively, allowing 3.8 goals per game (102 goals against). That ranks them 31st in the league. So, they might be riding high lately, but it hasn’t been that way most of the season.
On the other end of the ice, the Rangers are coming off a rare home loss to the Devils, but then again the Devils are a solid team this year. Besides that, they’ve been dominant at Madison Square Garden, winning 11 of their last 12 games after a home defeat.
Just looking at their recent form, it’s easy to see how this game could go either way.
The Penguins’ offense is clicking right now as they’re averaging 2.8 goals per game, but their defense remains shaky. This could be a big factor against a Rangers team averaging 3.2 goals per game.
Goalie Tristan Jarry has underwhelmed with a dismal .884 save percentage, while Igor Shesterkin gives the Rangers an edge in the net with a fairly decent .908 save percentage.
The Rangers really shine in special teams. They’re ranked 10th in power-play efficiency (23.4%) and 2nd in penalty killing (85.7%), compared to the Penguins’ 17th-ranked penalty kill which sits at 79.5%. If it comes down to penalties, that’s just about everything you need to know about how this game will go.
We expect New York’s disciplined play and dominant attack to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s vulnerabilities on the PK unit.
For the Rangers, Artemi Panarin leads the charge on the ice with 13 goals and 20 assists. He also takes a shot at the net every chance he can and leads both teams with 79 shots on goal. Defenseman Adam Fox has recorded points in 7 consecutive home games against Pittsburgh and he doesn’t look like he’ll slow down tonight.
On the Penguins’ side, Sidney Crosby remains a pivotal playmaker with 18 assists and 8 goals, but he’ll need support from secondary scorers like Rickard Rakell who has 10 goals and 6 assists. The key for the Pens could be for Malkin (18 assists) to set up the big plays and Crosby or Rakell to finish it off.
This game hinges on the Rangers’ ability to make the Penguins pay for defensive lapses.
Despite the Penguins’ recent hot streak of 4 consecutive games, their road struggles (4-6-2) and inability to limit goals when they matter the most could spell trouble.
The Rangers, with a much better goalie and a well-rounded attack, are well-positioned to dominate on their home ice.
As for the best bet, we’ll take the Rangers -1.5 (+125) on the puck line. We like that they’ve consistently delivered at home and are hungry to bounce back from their recent loss. We also expect a strong showing from Shesterkin and the Rangers’ top line.
BettorsInsider Prediction: Rangers 4, Penguins 2.