Two of the Metropolitan division’s biggest rivals are set to collide, with the New York Rangers playing host to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Penguins (+122) vs. New York Rangers (-146) Total: 6.5 (O-110, U-110)There’s a lot at stake in this matchup for the Penguins and Rangers, but for different reasons. The Pens are trying to hold onto a wild card position in the East, while the Rangers are looking to stay in third in the Metro and break out of their recent slump. Pittsburgh and New York have already faced off twice this season, which has seen the Pens pick up two victories by scores of 3-2. The Rangers are listed as home favorites tonight on the moneyline at -146, while the Pens are priced at +122.
Pittsburgh enters this contest playing better hockey at the moment, having posted a 7-2-1 record over their past ten games. On the other hand, the Rangers sit at just 5-4-1 over that same sample size. With both sides making deadline additions, the Pens have had a much smoother transition.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Penguins are expected to start Tristan Jarry, while the Rangers should counter with Igor Shesterkin. The Pens netminder is coming off a poor outing against Montreal but has posted a 20-7-6 record, paired with a .910 save percentage. Shesterkin is sitting at 30-11-7, along with a .910 save percentage. Despite Shesterkin winning the Vezina last year, it’s hard to give either goalie a significant edge in net at the moment.
With the Pens’ success against the Rangers this season, it’s hard to look away from their direction in this matchup tonight. In addition, Pittsburgh’s plus-money moneyline price of +122 is super appealing, which is the direction we’ll be backing in this contest.
Best Bet: Penguins moneyline (+122)
The first two games in this season series have seen five combined goals scored. The total for this third matchup is 6.5, with the over priced at -110 and the under at -110. These teams are both middle-of-the-pack squads regarding goals scored and allowed per game. Over the Penguins’ past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals scored three times, while the Rangers have seen that twice. With the trends they’ve shown us in their season series, there’s some value in backing the under 6.5 tonight at -110.
Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-112)
There are quite a few high-end skilled players in this matchup, which has created some excellent value on the board for both sides. The Penguins are playing well at the moment, and a big reason for that has been the consistent goal-scoring that Jake Guentzel has provided them. The crafty winger leads the club with five goals over their past five games and has also tallied 61 points in 63 games overall. This matchup tonight against the Rangers is a positive one for Guentzel to find success in, meaning targeting him to continue his hot streak and score has value at +124.
Best Prop: Jake Guentzel to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+124)
