The Rangers are playing the best hockey of the season, coming into tonight’s game with a seven-game winning streak.
The Penguins are also playing solid hockey, even though they lost their last match, which ended their seven-game winning streak.
Let’s use the NHL players’ stats to help us identify the New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins‘ best bets, as this is one of the best games on the NHL schedule tonight.
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have been climbing the NHL standings with their recent success. In the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers find themselves in third place, just three points out of the lead in the division.
Offensively, the Rangers have been nothing exceptional, scoring 3.27 goals per game which are 12th in the NHL. The Rangers are averaging 4.4 goals per game in their last five games.
Their defense and goaltending have been great, allowing just 2.70 goals per game which is 8th in the NHL. They have been even better in their last five games, giving up 1.8 goals per game.
Best Offensive Player
Artemi Panarin has been the best offensive player for the Rangers, leading the team with 40 total points.
Panarin has scored eight goals and assisted 32 others. Panarin is responsible for two goals and ten assists during this seven-game win streak.
Igor Shesterkin is the Rangers’ starting goaltender. He has a record of 16-4-3, giving up 2.39 goals per game. Shesterkin has not lost a game in regulation in December.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are proof that the Metropolitan Division is just plain tough. While looking at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ statistics, it would be easy to think they are leading the division.
Unfortunately, they are fourth in their division, even after winning seven games in a row.
Penguins’ Offense and Defense
The Penguins are one of the best offensive teams in all of hockey, scoring 3.27 goals per game which are 7th in the league. The Penguins are averaging 3.0 goals per game in their last five games.
Their defense and goaltending have been closer to the league average, giving up 2.87 goals per game which are 14th in the league.
The Penguins have given up an average of 2.0 goals per game in their last five games.
In his 17th season in the league, Sidney Crosby is proving that he still has the skills to play at the highest level. Crosby leads the team with 40 points, scoring 17 goals and assisting 23 others.
Tristan Jarry is the primary goaltender for the Penguins. He has a record of 14-3-2 and is giving up 2.63 goals per game. Jarry has not lost a game in regulation since November 5th.
Last Game
This will be the first four meetings on this year’s NHL schedule. Last year, these two met in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Penguins must remember their losses, as they were up 3-1 in the series. However, the Rangers did not back down and went on to win the series 4-3.
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Analysis
The Rangers have been great in December, with a record of 7-1-1. The Rangers are also 5-0 in their last five road games.
The craziest part about this whole thing is the Penguins are just as good in December, coming in with a record of 7-1 this month. Of course, they are 5-0 in their last five home games.
Odds Breakdown
Moneyline
The Penguins have a slight moneyline advantage in this game, with their odds at -140. The New York Rangers odds are at +120 to win the game outright.
Puckline
The Penguins have a puck line of -1½ with odds at +180. The Rangers are +1½ with -220 odds.
Over/Under
Total goals for this game are set at 5½, with the under getting even odds and the over at -120.
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Pick and Prediction
While making NHL expert picks is never easy, a few bets in her are very intriguing. With both teams playing great hockey and having clean NHL injury reports, this matchup should make for one of the best NHL games of the week.
If the Rangers continue to play at the level they are right now, one of the Rangers vs Penguins best bets in this game will be the over for total goals. They have found a way to score goals against solid goaltenders.
If you are a bettor who likes to take chances, the odds for the Rangers to win outright make that one of the Rangers vs. Penguins best bets.
They have played solid on the road and should be more than competitive in Pittsburgh.
NHL Pick: Rangers +1.5 (-220)
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