The NHL betting action goes on Saturday, April 23, 2022, with the Eastern Conference showdown from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, so we have prepared the best Rangers vs. Bruins betting pick and odds.
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Bruins are -127 moneyline favorites, while the Rangers are listed as +115 road underdogs with a total of 5.5 goals. New York and Boston wrap up their three-game regular-season series, and the Rangers look to sweep the Bruins.Â
The Rangers aim for their fifth W in a row                 Â
The New York Rangers (51-21-6) are coming off a 6-3 thrashing of the New York Islanders this past Thursday. It was their fourth victory in a row and seventh in their previous eight outings at any location, so the Rangers are now tied with Carolina and Toronto for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Center Andrew Copp had a big game against the Islanders, scoring a hat-trick in the first period. He also suffered a lower-body injury and will sit out Saturday’s clash against Boston. Defenseman Adam Fox accounted for three assists, while winger Artemi Panarin had four dishes. Alexandar Georgiev posted 26 saves, improving to 14-9-2 on the season.
Igor Shesterkin is projected to patrol the crease Saturday in Boston. The 26-year-old netminder has been outstanding so far this season, notching a 36-11-4 record, 2.01 GAA, and .936 save percentage. He’s already registered six shutouts in 2021-22. The Rangers own the second-lowest scoring defense in the NHL (2.45) while tallying 3.08 goals per game (15th in the league).
The Bruins just got blanked       Â
The Boston Bruins (47-25-5) are coming off a 4-0 defeat at the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Thursday. They failed to extend their winning streak to three games, recording their fourth defeat in the last six games overall.
The Bruins took a whopping 52 shots toward the Pens’ goaltender and still failed to find the back of the net. On the other side of the ice, Jeremy Swayman yielded three goals on 31 shots. The 23-year-old goalie is now 22-13-3 on the season.
Swayman carries a 2.35 GAA and .916 save percentage, while Linus Ullmark owns a 2.57 GAA and .912 save percentage. It’s still unknown who’ll get the starting call Saturday, as Ullmark could return from a minor upper-body injury. The Bruins are surrendering 2.69 goals per game (5th in the NHL) while scoring 3.04 in a return (16th). They are tied with Pittsburgh for the No. 6 seed in the East.
Trends:
NY Rangers:
- 7-1 in the last eight games overall
- 5-0 in the last five games on the road
Boston:
- 1-4 in the last five games against the Rangers
New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins Pick
The Bruins are still without David Pastrnak (undisclosed), who’s accounted for 38 goals and 33 assists so far this season. Without Pastrnak, the Bruins’ offense has struggled mightily, tallying more than a couple of goals only once in the last seven games overall.
Boston’s defense is capable of dealing with the Rangers’ offense, but the hosts could be in big trouble when they try to score against New York’s stout defense. We should see a hard-fought battle, and I lean the Rangers, whose goaltender and blue line should make the difference.
Pick: Take New York Rangers at +115
The Total:
Both Rangers and Bruins defend well with the man down. They are top-five teams in the NHL in scoring defense, so we should see a low-scoring affair at TD Garden. The under is 9-3 in the last 12 encounters between New York and Boston.
Also, five of the Bruins’ last seven contests have gone under the total, while none of their previous four outings has seen more than five goals on the scoreboard. On the other side, the Rangers have blanked their rivals four times in their last seven showings.
Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -110