The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will collide in Game 7 tonight, with the winner advancing to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
New York Rangers (-102) vs. New Jersey Devils (-118) Total: 5.5 (O+112, U-138)There are many different things to highlight in this matchup that may shift how you view this decisive Game 7. The Rangers and Devils each won two games on the road to kick off this series through four games, while New Jersey won Game 5 at home, followed by New York winning Game 6 at home. It’s evident that trends have played a significant role in this series, but will that continue tonight?
The Devils are listed as slight home favorites in Game 7 on the moneyline, where they’re priced at -118, while the Rangers are sitting at -102. This was projected to be one of the tightest opening-round matchups, and it’s certainly delivered, with the prices for these teams for Game 7 highlighting that.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Rangers will continue riding Igor Shesterkin in goal, while the Devils will do the same with Akira Schmid. The Rangers netminder has posted a 3-3 record, paired with a .939 save percentage, while Schmid is sitting at 3-1 with a .937 save percentage. Shesterkin has been in this situation before in the postseason and should be able to use that to his advantage, but Schmid has performed much better than expected since taking over the Devils’ crease.
The Rangers proved during their postseason run last year that they have what it takes to come out on top in a winner take all Game 7. New Jersey’s big guns lack the playoff experience to feel comfortable backing them in this matchup. New York is littered with talented veterans that have been in this spot before, and we like them to use that to their advantage, meaning we’re siding with the Rangers to advance.
Best Bet: Rangers moneyline (-102)
The first six games in this series have seen six, six, three, four, four, and seven goals scored. Despite a lot of offensive talent in this series, it’s been relatively low scoring, highlighted by both goalies performing at an elite level. The total for Game 7 is 5.5, with the over priced at +112, while the under is at -138. It’s hard to envision this matchup seeing the narrative flipped on its head, meaning a defensive affair filled with high-level goaltending is what we’re projecting to be on tap again. As a result, siding with the juiced-up price the under is listed at is the direction we’re siding with in Game 7.
Best Bet: Under 5.5 (-138)
Despite us liking the low-scoring potential that this Game 7 has, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some value on the board to target in the goal-scoring department. One player that’s continued to perform in the postseason has been Rangers power forward Chris Kreider. He’s tallied six goals and three assists through six games in this series and has continued to elevate his play in the playoffs. Kreider can score with his high-end skill, but he can also score the grinding way, which makes him valuable in this Game 7. Kreider’s listed at +200 to find the back of the net tonight, and there’s value in that price point.
Best Prop: Chris Kreider to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+200)
