The Boston Bruins will be looking to record wins in consecutive games for the first time this season when they travel to New York on Wednesday to take on the resurgent Rangers as +120 underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston recorded a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild as a narrow +105 underdog on Monday, marking the club’s second victory in three contests going into Wednesday night’s Bruins vs. Rangers betting matchup at Madison Square Garden.
The Bruins have managed to collect points in seven of eight contests despite tallying just four wins during that stretch, but have struggled on the road, picking up the win in just four dates away from TD Garden including a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets as +128 underdogs in their last away game on Oct. 30.
Wednesday night’s clash also marks the third time in five outings that Boston has been pegged as a betting underdog, ending a 12-game stretch dating back to April during which the club hit the ice as favorites. The Bruins have produced mixed results when sporting positive odds, posting wins in five of their past 10, and are winless in their past six meetings with Metropolitan Division opponents as underdogs, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask is expected to make a sixth straight start for Boston on Wednesday night. Rask has surrendered three or more goals in six of nine appearances this season, and has enjoyed little success in recent dates against the Rangers, going winless in his past four to put the brakes on an impressive 10-1-1 run against New York.
The Rangers are on a high after extending their current win streak to four games with a 5-3 victory over the Blue Jackets as +101 home underdogs on Monday night. The current hot stretch marks a reversal in fortune for the squad which stumbled out of the gate with just one win in eight outings, sinking its Stanley Cup odds to a distant +3300.
Meagre offensive production contributed to New York’s early-season woes. The Rangers scored two or fewer goals in five of their first six outings, but the club’s snipers have rediscovered their scoring touch of late, averaging 4.5 goals per game over their past six, fueling a 5-1 run for the OVER for totals bettors.
Following Wednesday’s game, the Bruins close out the week with a home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston has dropped four straight to the Maple Leafs while getting outscored by an 18-9 overall margin.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
