Pittsburgh Penguins (-115) vs New York Rangers (-105)
PICK: NYR will take one of the first two games on the road (if not both) and dominate the series. Take the under in all of the first four games.
Another old vs new dynamic. Pittsburgh much like Washington can remember winning the Stanley Cup only a couple of years ago but those days are long gone. And with both front offices fumbling or holding on to pieces that won’t allow them to be relevant they unfortunately can’t adapt to the speed and skill that is the NHL.
Pittsburgh is a complete mess and lucky for them they play in a division which also consists of New Jersey, New York Islanders, Columbus and Philadelphia, otherwise they are relatively irrelevant. They added nothing during the trade deadline and they continue to struggle down the stretch. Pittsburgh went 5-8 in their last 13, losing four out of eight home stands.
How on earth are the Rangers underdogs in this series? Of the opportunities provided to the betting public THIS is the best dog pick from the group. The Rangers behind Igor Shesterkin will dominate these games. The late additions of Frank “The Tank” Vatrano and Andrew Copp have ignited the Blueshirts. Not to mention that their third and fourth lines can not only shutdown opposing teams but they’ve been provided opportunities to score important goals. Whether it’s Filip Chytil, Dryden Hunt, Barclay Goodrow or even Kevin Rooney, these guys are getting it done! And let’s talk about the defensive pairings of Lindgren/Fox (+36) and Miller/Trouba (+48) who own offenses this year.
Regular Season Series: New York Rangers 3-1
Feb 26th: NYR 0 (Shesterkin) @ PITT 1 (Jarry)
Mar 25th: PITT 1 (Jarry(5)/DeSmith) @ NYR 5 (Shesterkin)
Mar 29th: NYR 3 (Shesterkin) @ PITT 2 (Jarry)
Apr 7th: PITT 0 (Jarry) @ NYR 3 (Shesterkin)
Pittsburgh Numbers
Home Wins 56% (23-18); Away Wins 56% (23-18)
Home Favorite 57% (21-16); Away Favorite 67% (16-8)
Home 55% Over (22O/18U); Away 56% Under (22U/17O)
Home v Metro 54% (7-6); Away v Metro 54% (7-6)
Home Favorite -$930; Away Favorite +$345
Home PL 41% (17-24); Away PL 56% (23-18)
New York Rangers Numbers
Home Wins 66% (27-14); Away Wins 61% (25-16)
Home Dog 58% (7-5); Away Dog 41% (9-13)
Home 57% Under (23U/17O); Away 62% Under (25U/15O)
Home v Metro 38% (5-8); Away v Metro 62% (8-5)
Home Dog +$377; Away Dog -$102
Home PL 44% (18-23); Away PL 56% (23-18)
