Canadiens vs. Rangers Game 3 Pick
Who has the edge when the New York Rangers host the Montreal Canadiens today at 7PM ET in Game 3 of their series?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Rangers are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -125 to win, while the Canadiens are listed with a money line of +105 to win. The over/under total for the game is listed at 5 goals.
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The Canadiens picked up a 4-3 OT win in Game 2 to even up the series on Friday. The Habs have now won four of their last five meetings with the Rangers. New York is 49-28-7 overall and 21-16-4 at home while the Canadiens are 48-27-9 overall and 23-14-4 on the road.
The Canadiens found that their best way to get a goal past Henrik Lundqvist in Game 2 was to continually pepper him with shots. The Habs had 58 shots in the game. Alexander Radulov scored the game-winning goal late in the first OT period. Tomas Plekanec actually scored the goal that forced OT with just 18 seconds left in regulation. While the Rangers were outshot 58-38 in the game, they still had a 74-55 edge in hits and won the faceoff battle 39-38.
The Canadiens managed a win in Game 2 but the Rangers still were seconds away from going up 2-0. New York should feel very confident heading home, as the Rangers have looked like the better team through two games. The Canadiens won’t be able to manage 58 shots in Game 3 in New York, so that should lead to fewer goals, as Lundqvist is still playing quite well. Give me New York at home today.
NHL PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: NEW YORK RANGERS -125