The 2021-22 NHL season continues Thursday, April 7, with this Eastern Conference showdown at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, so we have prepared the best Penguins vs. Rangers betting pick and odds.
Minnesota and Nashville will be playing the fourth of their four-game series. The Rangers won two of the last three meetings, including the only one in New York, so it was not a surprise that they enter as a slight favorite on DraftKings NY Sportsbook at -115. The Penguins are 6-4-0 in the last 10 meetings.
Penguins Drop Second Straight to Open April
The Pittsburgh Penguins (41-20-10; 35-36 ATS) dropped their second straight game when they fell to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, 6-4. That moves Pittsburgh to 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, holding third in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Rangers. The Penguins have been road warriors this season, going 22-9-5 but are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Colorado broke up a 1-1 tie after one period with two second period goals to down Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry had a very tough night, allowing five goals on 31 shots. Jarry has been brilliant this season, going 33-16-6 with a 2.37 GAA and a .920 save percentage, but he has not been as formidable of late, allowing 18 goals over his last five starts, including allowing three in two of those games.
Despite the tough outing by Jarry, goaltending has been the bread and butter for this team. They are fourth in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 2.65 and have been even better on the road at 2.42 GAA. The penalty killing units have been a big bonus for this club as the team is second at 85.8%.
Rangers Shut Down Devils
The New York Rangers (45-20-6; 35-36 ATS) defeated the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, 3-1. The Rangers are happy to get back into the win column. They had won seven of their last eight games to close our March, but went 0-1-1 through the first two games of April. The Rangers are two points behind Carolina for the top spot in the division.
Alexandar Georgiev was outstanding in the victory, stopping 20 of 21 shots. Georgiev (12-9-2, 3.03 GAA, .894 save percentage) has been a solid backup, but Igor Shesterkin may be the best goaltender in the NHL. He is 32-10-4 with a 2.14 GAA and a .933 save percentage. Chris Kreider scored his team leading 47th goal in the victory and Artemi Panarin had two assists.
While the Penguins have been great at shutting opponents down, the Rangers have been even better. They are third in goals against average at 2.58 and have been even better at home, posting a 2.38 GAA. The Rangers penalty killers have not been as good (81.3%) but the team is second on the power-play (26.8%).
Trends:
Pittsburgh Penguins:
- 1-4 in their last five games against teams with a winning record.
- 2-5 in their last seven games.
New York Rangers:
- 5-0 in their last five games against teams with a winning record.
- 5-2 in their last seven games.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Pick
This is a battle of strength against strength. Both teams have excellent goaltending. Pittsburgh has the great penalty killing while New York has the great power play. The Rangers are great at home while the Penguins have been great on the road. This should make for a very entertaining game, especially considering the playoff implications involved.
Jarry has been great for Pittsburgh, but he has looked mortal of late while Shesterkin is on top of his game and comes into this contest after a day off. The Rangers have been handling Pittsburgh in the last two contests and will do so here as well.
Pick: Take the New York Rangers
The Total:
With two of the best defensive teams in the NHL, it may seem to make sense to go with the under, but don’t get fooled. Jarry has been rocked of late and the Rangers have the kind of scoring punch that can do him some damage. In fact, he is 1-2 against the Rangers this season.
These teams have gone over in 21 of the last 33 meetings including eight of the last 10 in New York. Look for six goals to be scored.
Pick: Go over 5.5
