Rangers vs. Penguins Pick
Will the New York Rangers and host Pittsburgh Penguins engage in a defensive battle dominated by goaltending tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Penguins are established as a -175 favorite on the moneyline. The Rangers are a +155 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals.
New York enters with a 22-16-1-4 record after a 7-2 home loss Saturday to the Islanders. Pittsburgh is 23-19-2-1 following a 4-1 home win Saturday against the Red Wings. The season series is split 1-1 with the road team winning both games. The Penguins are 4-3 in seven meetings since the start of last season, while the over has gone 6-1.
The Rangers were led by Kevin Hayes and Mika Zibanejad with one goal each in the loss to the Islanders. Ondrej Pavelec allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled in the second period. Henrik Lundqvist gave up two goals on 18 shots the rest of the way. The Rangers trailed 2-1 through one period and then gave up another three in the second to go down 5-1.
In the win over Detroit, Evgeny Malkin poured in two goals and two assists to lead the charge. Phil Kessel contributed a goal and two assists. Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist. Tristan Jarry recorded 29 saves on 30 shots. Pittsburgh led 2-1 through one period and added a goal each in the second and third periods.
New York is 4-11 in the last 15 meetings. The over is 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings in Pittsburgh and 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings overall.
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The over has dominated this series, but with the Rangers coming off a blowout loss they will want to tighten up defensively. Lundqvist should be in net so that is already a strong start. These two squads now there have been a lot of high-scoring games between them, so defense will certainly be a focus in this one. Don’t expect a lot of wide-open hockey.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: RANGERS/PENGUINS UNDER 6