A New York Rangers home game is not often the late game of the night. With Monday being a holiday across North America, there are many early games on the NHL schedule today. The Rangers and Winnipeg Jets have the league’s spotlight in an unusual early nightcap with one of the best goaltending matchups the league can provide.
The Rangers and Jets are both playoff teams with legitimate chances to emerge from their divisions and conferences and fight for the Stanley Cup in June. However, both teams need to stack wins in February to build momentum and protect or improve their rankings in the NHL standings.
We’ll review the important stats, trends, and Jets vs Rangers odds before making our NHL picks today.
Winnipeg Jets vs. New York Rangers Odds
Before we go further in our betting preview, we need to see where the Jets vs Rangers odds are listed and both NHL teams betting records for context as we analyze stats and betting trends.
NHL odds have the New York Rangers as heavier-than-expected moneyline favorites, with odds between -165 and -180. The Winnipeg Jets are the underdog, listed between +140 and +150. The Rangers have a 33-23 straight-up record, while the Jets have a 34-22 straight-up record.
The total goals line is set to 6.0, which is slightly lower than the standard 6.5 total goals found for most NHL matchups. You can find an outlying sportsbook or two with the total goals Jets vs Rangers odds listed at 6.5.
With the total goals line at 6.0, the over is listed between -110 and -124, while the under is listed from +100 to -110. Winnipeg has a 15-37-4 over/under record, while New York has a 26-29-1 over/under record.
The Jets are listed at +1.5 on the puck line spread, with odds between -167 and -185. The Rangers are listed at -1.5, with odds from +138 to +150. Jets and Rangers have matching 32-24 records ats.
Winnipeg Jets vs. New York Rangers Matchup Information
Winnipeg Jets vs New York Rangers
Location of the Game: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Date and Time: Monday, February 20th, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
How to Watch: NHLPP | ESPN+ | MSG Network
Winnipeg Jets vs. New York Rangers Betting Preview
This is the season’s second and final matchup between the Jets and Rangers. The Jets won the first game 4-1 on October 14th, 2022.
Winnipeg Jets
When looking at the Winnipeg Jets record overall, you’ll find that the Jets have been competitive all season long and are ranked second in the Central Divison, three points behind the Dallas Stars.
However, not all is well in Winnipeg, as the Jets have lost two straight games and have a 5-5 straight-up record in the last ten games. This streak of average hockey comes at a bad time as the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are closing the gap to the Jets, with Winnipeg holding a four-point advantage over fourth-placed Minnesota.
The Jets are 0-4 in the last four games against the Eastern Conference and 1-4 in the last five head-to-head meetings with the Rangers.
The Jets have hit the under in four straight games and seven of the last eight, posting a 1-8-1 over/under record in the last ten games. The under is 5-1 in Winnipeg’s last six games against the Metropolitan Division and 20-5-1 in the last 26 against the Eastern Conference.
Analyzing the Winnipeg Jets’ Impressive Defensive Stats
The Jets have one of the most interesting NHL stats lines for a playoff team and potential Western Conference Champion. Defensively, the Jets are excellent and helped tremendously by Connor Hellbuyck’s excellent season so far, ranked fourth overall and giving up 2.63 goals per game while having the fourth-ranked penalty-killing unit operating at 83.5%.
Offensively, the Jets are in the middle of the pack, ranked 17th in scoring and averaging 3.13 goals per game and having the 17th-ranked powerplay, converting at 21.4%.
Kyle Connor leads the Jets in points with 62 (25 goals, 27 assists) but doesn’t lead the team in either category. Mark Scheifele leads the team in goals (32), while Josh Morrissey leads Winnipeg with 45 assists.
Morrisey has three goals in the last five games, while Blake Wheeler has six points in the last five games.
We expect Connor Hellebuyck to start for the Jets on broadway. Hellebuyck has a 25-16-1 record, a 2.43 GAA, and a .924 SV% this season.
New York Rangers
Early in the season, the question was how can the New York Rangers score more than the high-powered teams in the East and move one step beyond their Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2022. That question seems to be answered by the Rangers’ recent acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues and his instant chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin.
The Rangers have won four of the last five games and have an 8-0-2 record in the last ten. New York’s six-game streak of hitting the over ended in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames in the squad’s last game.
The Rangers are 5-0 in the last five games at Madison Square Garden and in the last five games against the Central Division.
Tarasenko’s addition has made the Rangers’ offensive production more potent, with the team averaging 3.36 goals per game, rising to tenth in the rankings while having the ninth-ranked powerplay, converting at 23.5%.
The Rangers’ Penalty Kill Struggles
New York needs to improve its penalty killing, which is ranked 15th and operating at 79.9% but has one of the best goalies in the NHL, 2022 Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, who helps the Rangers rank seventh in the NHL, giving up 2.69 goals per game.
Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in NHL player stats with 65 points (18 goals, 47 assists). Panarin has been on fire since Tarasenko’s arrival on broadway scoring 12 points in the last five games.
We expect the Rangers to counter Hellebuyck with number-one goalie Shesterkin for a heavyweight goaltending battle. Shesterkin has a 25-8-7 record, a 2.55 GAA, and a .914 SV%.
Tyler Motte is the only player of note listed on the NHL injury report for the Rangers and is listed as out for Monday’s matchup. The Rangers acquired Motte in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on February 19th.
Winnipeg Jets vs. New York Rangers Betting Picks
Now that we’ve reviewed the important stats, trends, and Jets vs Rangers odds, we need to make our NHL picks.
However, we have two more betting trends to consider: the under is 4-0 in the last four Jets vs Rangers matchups, while the moneyline favorite is 6-2 in the last eight games.
Our first pick is to take the under. While the Rangers have been scoring in bunches recently, the Jets do not, and this game features two of the best goalies in the NHL going head-to-head.
More importantly, did you see the Jets over/under record? Take the under.
Our second pick is to take the New York Rangers as the moneyline favorite. Both teams are coming off losses, but the Rangers have looked great recently and lost at the end of a Western Canada road trip, while the Jets have struggled in the last two. We think the Rangers are the better team overall and will win a close game, potentially in overtime.
- NHL Picks: New York Rangers ML, Under, Winnipeg Jets +1.5
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.
