The Pittsburgh Penguins (44-29-7-6) were beaten in overtime on Wednesday night in Game 4 of their series against the New York Rangers (56-23-2-5).
One has to wonder if they're ready to pack it in for the season mentally after that defeat.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Rangers were -120 and -116 favorites in the two road games in this series, and as a result, we expect to see them return to around the -175 they were lined at when the series was played here at MSG. New York has, for our money, comfortably been the better of the two teams every step of the way, and that should continue in Game 5.
GOALIE REPORT
A lot of that is thanks to Henrik Lundqvist. "King Henrik" doesn't have a shutout yet in these playoffs, but if you take away Game 2 when he allowed four goals on just 22 shots, he has allowed one goal in each game to Pittsburgh.
Marc-Andre Fleury is going to be blasted for losing this series when it's all said and done with, but he really doesn't deserve to be blamed. Sure, he hasn't allowed fewer than two goals in a game, but he also hasn't allowed more than three. That's really all the Pens are asking him to do with an offense surrounding him that should be capable of putting the biscuit in the basket with regularity.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This was his best game of the series. We need him to play the way he's played for us throughout the year. Obviously, this is playoff hockey on a bigger stage, but he's learning how to deal with it." – New York head coach Alain Vigneault on rookie Kevin Hayes, who scored the game-winner in overtime on Wednesday night
SITUATIONAL BETTING
They say that a level hockey game in the Stanley Cup playoffs may as well be a pick 'em. Not in this series it hasn't.
When playing from a tied game in this series, the Rangers have scored four of the five goals, the one exception being the fact that Pittsburgh scored first in Game 4 on Wednesday night. New York has managed to win all of the important loose pucks, and it just tends to have been in the right place at the right time all series long.
PROP TALK
Derick Brassard is really doing a fine job cleaning things up in this series. He leads all scorers with three goals for New York, and he figures to once again have his nose in the play when it matters most. Brassard scored six goals in the playoffs last season for the Rangers and had a career-best 60 points in the regular season this year, and we wouldn't want to bet against him on Friday night either.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
Brassard isn't one of New York's superstars, but he is a microcosm of why the Blueshirts are going to win this series.
The Rangers are getting significantly better play from their middling lines than Pittsburgh is, and the top line is doing a great job of putting down the Sidney Crosby line.
The value of home ice advantage here is real, but it isn't even the crowd that has us concerned. New York is going to get the last shift change before faceoffs, and that could end up being huge to get the right checkers out there to deal with Crosby.
Alain Vigneault will ultimately be the man who wins this series for New York with his superior tactical strategy.
New York 3, Pittsburgh 2
BookMaker will open the odds for this Friday game before anyone else on the internet. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 5 of the series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers will start at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 24, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
