The New York Rangers enter the Stanley Cup playoffs with a ton of confidence after winning 52 regular season games and finishing second in the tough Metropolitan Division, far exceeding expectations. Experience counts for something and the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly have that making their 16th straight postseason appearance with three titles in that span. But the Penguins haven’t won an opening round series in three years and will have to penetrate the best goalie in the NHL in order to win a game. We’ll see if Sidney Crosby and Co. are up to the challenge in Game 2 of this first round matchup on Wednesday.
The Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 5, 2022, from Madison Square Garden and will air live on TNT. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the NHL playoff schedule.
NHL Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
As division rivals the clubs are quite familiar with each other so don’t expect anything new throughout the series. The Rangers are looking to shake off the rust of a late season slide that cost them the division title. They were tied with Carolina atop the Metro heading into the final weeks, but the Blueshirts dropped three in row, including a home matchup with the Canes, that eventually cost them a spot in the standings. They ended the season on a positive note with a win over Washington and used their stifling defense to take three of four regular season games against the Penguins. New York won both meetings in the Garden outscoring Pittsburgh 8-1 with both games cashing the UNDER.
They are once again a playoff team, but it appears as though the Penguins’ run is nearing an end. Since hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2017 they’ve won one playoff series and have been bounced in the opening round in each of the past three postseasons. They aren’t the favorite but the Penguins are a dangerous team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the ice. We’ve seen a shift in the way the Penguins play over the years. No longer are they an offense dominant club instead relying on defense and penalty killing. The Pens averaged 3.3 goals while ranking among the top-5 with 2.7 goals against. They earned payouts in 56 percent of their games while playing below the total in four of their final six regular season games.
Pittsburgh Penguins
With goalie Tristan Jarry out for the start of the series the Penguins will need to score goals to come away with a victory. That hasn’t been the easiest thing to do against the Rangers, though. Pittsburgh totaled only four goals in four regular season games with New York tallying one time in 120 minutes at the Garden. They are capable of putting the puck in the net, though. Five players hit the 20-goal mark led by 40 from Jake Guentzel.
The big issue is between the pipes. With Jarry sidelined Casey DeSmith gets the nod. He played well leading up to the playoffs going 8-3-3 with a 2.44 GAA and .927 save percentage after the All-Star break. However, he enters the series with a 3.45 GAA and .886 save percentage in seven games against the Rangers.
New York Rangers
The Rangers have the Vezina winner on their side in Igor Shesterkin, but they are a lot more than just a great goalie. Sure, having a wall behind them makes them tough to beat – Shesterkin led the NHL with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage – but guys like Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad had outstanding individual seasons. Toss in some strong role players and the Rangers produced their most wins (52) and points (110) in seven seasons.
New York was the most profitable team during the regular season finishing nearly $1400 in the black. They won the last three regular season meetings over the Penguins outscoring them 11-3. If you think the Rangers are all about keeping the puck out of the net think again. They average a little over three goals and had the fourth-ranked power play during the season. Kreider had 26 PPGs and Panarin averaged nearly 1.3 points per game.
NHL Odds Pick
The Rangers looked good throughout the season with the best goaltender in the biz surrounded by more than capable scorers. Don’t count the Penguins out, though. An experienced club with plenty of Stanley Cup playoff games, they’ll make it interesting. But the edge in net goes to New York which is why they get the W.
NHL Odds Prediction: Rangers 4, Pittsburgh 2
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone 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!
