The New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins meet in NHL action from the TD Garden on Saturday night. Two of the NHL’s Best go head-to-head in this one, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and give out a Rangers vs. Bruins Prediction.
New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers come into this game looking to build on a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in their last matchup. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 41 points including team-highs of 16 goals and 25 assists while Chris Kreider has 24 points with 16 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 25 points as well with 19 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 25 points with 19 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 10-7 with a 3.02 GAA and a .902 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 9-0-1 with a 2.09 GAA and a .926 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The Rangers have won three of their last four games as underdogs.
- The Rangers have covered the puck line in each of their last 12 games as underdogs following a home win.
- The home team has won the second period in each of the Rangers’ last five games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last eight games.
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Boston Bruins Team Preview
The Boston Bruins come into this game looking to build on a 5-4 shootout win over the Islanders in their last matchup. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 41 points including a team-high 17 goals and 24 assists while Brad Marchand has 26 points with 12 goals and 14 assists. Charlie Coyle has 21 points with 10 goals and 11 assists while Pavel Zacha has 19 points with 8 goals and 11 apples. Charlie McAvoy has 17 points with 14 assists and James van Riemsdyk has 19 points with 6 goals and 13 assists. Jeremy Swayman’s gone 9-1-3 with a 2.07 GAA and a .933 save percentage for the Bruins in goal while Linus Ullmark is 10-4-1 with a 2.79 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season.
Boston Bruins Team Facts
- The Bruins have won 21 of their last 22 home games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Bruins have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games following a shootout win.
- The Bruins have won the first period in each of their last six Saturday night games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Bruins’ last 10 games following a road win.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Boston Bruins ranks 1st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (88.57%).
- The Boston Bruins ranks 4th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.54).
- The New York Rangers ranks 2nd in the league in power play percentage this season (30.68%).
- The New York Rangers ranks 8th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (84.62%).
Rangers vs. Bruins Prediction
I’m going to take a shot on the under here. I just think this could end up being a defensive battle in a first to 3 wins kind of game. This in my eyes, could very well be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals if both play to their potential/expectations. Give me the under here in arguably the game of the night.
