NHL Betting Preview |
The New York Rangers will look to extend their point lead in the Eastern Conference when they tangle with the Pittsburgh Penguins this Tuesday night in this Atlantic Division clash. The puck is set to drop at the CONSOL Energy Center at 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available locally on the MSG Network.
There are few teams in the NHL as hot as New York right now with a 7-2 record in its last nine games and 81 points in the conference standings.
The Rangers are 38-14-5 overall and a very productive 19-7-3 on the road. They have the second-best return on the money line in the league at +1695 and are 31-26 against the puck line.
New York is getting it done on both ends of the rink with a goals-per-game average of 2.77 and the second-best goals-against-average in the NHL at 1.96. The Rangers are also in the top five against the power play with a kill rate of 87.2 percent.
Pittsburgh continues to battle for position in the East with 71 total points and it has an overall record of 33-21-5. The Penguins are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and coming off a 6-2 loss to Buffalo this past Sunday as 129 road favorites. They are 17-8-2 at home this season and 29-30 against the puck line. Pittsburgh has managed to remain one of the more profitable teams on the money line at +980
Consistency in scoring remains the primary issue for Pittsburgh. It has tallied an average of six goals a game in its last three victories, but scored a combined seven goals in its last five losses.
The Rangers are 16-5 in their last 21 games against the Atlantic Division and 24-10 in their last 34 games following a win. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 13 of their last 24 games overall.
The Penguins are 2-5 in their last seven games against the division, but 12-5 in their last 17 games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their last seven games at home.
Head-to-head, New York is 4-1 in the last five meetings and 5-0 in its last five trips to Pittsburgh. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last six meetings overall. Despite the fact that the road team is 11-2 in the last 13 meetings, stick with the Penguins to buck the recent trends with a much needed win at home.
The Pick: Pittsburgh 4 New York 3
