Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will do battle against Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden for a divisional matchup. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 2, and you will be able to witness it live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Odds
The Penguins (-155) are tabbed as the favorites over the Rangers (+135) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -125 money on the over and +105 on the under.
Pittsburgh is 21-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 17 of its matches have gone over the total, while another 17 have gone under and just five have pushed. This 2018-19 Penguins team is 10-9 SU on the road.
Pittsburgh has converted on 26.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. Its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.2 saves per game with a .926 save percentage, Casey DeSmith (12-13-4) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, head coach Mike Sullivan could turn to Matt Murray (9-7-1), who has a .906 save percentage and 3.14 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, New York is 17-21 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.7 units this season. 19 of its games have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 11-9 SU at home this season.
The Rangers have converted on just 20.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Henrik Lundqvist has stopped 30.7 shots per game as the top option in the crease for the Rangers. Lundqvist has 12 wins, 17 losses, and seven OT losses to his credit and has registered a .916 save percentage and 2.81 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Two of the Rangers’ last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 5-2 overall in shootouts this year.
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their last five outings.
- Six of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
- This game features two of the more physical teams in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have dished out the second-most hits in the league (29.4 per game) and the Rangers have registered the seventh-most (25.7).
