The New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Saturday in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins prediction.
New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers come into this game looking to rebound from a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last time out. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 88 points including team-highs of 36 goals and 52 assists while Chris Kreider has 61 points with 32 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 62 points as well with 38 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 56 points with 36 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 28-14-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .912 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 14-5-2 with a 2.38 GAA and a .917 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The Rangers have won seven of their last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in seven of the Rangers’ last eight games at PPG Paints Arena.
- The Rangers have won the second period in five of their last six day games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last 12 games as favorites against the Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to build on their 6-3 win over San Jose last time out. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 65 points including a team-high 32 goals. Evgeni Malkin has 50 points with 19 goals and 31 assists while Erik Karlsson’s added 45 points with 37 assists and Kris Letang has 39 points of his own with 31 assists this season. Tristan Jarry has gone 19-21-5 with a 2.70 GAA and a .909 save percentage while Alex Nedeljkovic has a 9-6-4 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .903 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The Penguins have won four of their last five games as home underdogs following a win.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in seven of the last eight games between the Rangers and Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
- The Penguins have lost the second period in each of their last four games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Penguins’ last eight day games at PPG Paints Arena.
Rangers vs. Penguins Prediction
I’m on the Rangers here. The Penguins don’t get out of the doghouse with me after one win over the San Jose Sharks. This is still a Penguins team that’s struggled against the better teams they’ve been up against as of late and I have to think the Rangers will be out to bounce back after their poor showing against the Lightning. The Rangers have won three straight games against Pittsburgh with back-to-back shutouts, and I think they can snag another here. Give me the Rangers in this one.