Saturday NHL Free Pick
(The Spread) – The New York Rangers need a win Saturday in their final regular season game to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the New Jersey Devils certainly will not make it easy.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Rangers a –175 favorite and the over-under is set at 5. Play is slated to begin at 12:30PM EST.
The Rangers are 43-33-5 overall and 19-17-4 at home. New Jersey enters play with a 37-38-5 record overall and 16-22-2 road record.
According to latest NHL trends, the under is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings in New York and 4-0-1 in the last five meetings overall. The Rangers are 4-0 in their last four games following a loss of three or more goals. The Devils are 25-11 in their last 36 games overall.
NHL Free Pick: New Jersey will be itching at the chance to keep a rival in the New York Rangers out of the playoffs. The Devils have played tremendous hockey during the second half of the season and are playing as well if not better than many of the teams that will represent the Eastern Conference in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Rangers scuffled to a 3-0 loss in their last game and appear to be pressing in their bid for a playoff spot. A loss Saturday means New York will miss out on the playoffs and Carolina is in. A victory in regulation means the Rangers still need to await Carolina’s result at night against Tampa Bay to find out their playoff fate. In short, it is not an enviable position. Look for New York to play tight and the Devils to take advantage of a couple costly mistakes. The loss of Ryan Callahan (23 goals, 25 assists) to a broken leg a week ago hurts New York offensively. Take New Jersey +155.
SATURDAY NHL FREE PICK: NEW JERSEY DEVILS +155
Bet On Devils vs. Rangers Odds
Want More From TheSpread.com? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!