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The Pittsburgh Penguins will battle the New York Rangers on Friday at Madison Square Garden. Two divisional rivals clash as we share our NHL odds series and make a Penguins-Rangers prediction and pick.
The Penguins are 44-44 over their past 85 games against the Rangers. However, the Rangers have won both games against the Penguins this season. The Rangers are also 7-3 over their past 10 games against the Penguins, including 4-1 over five games at Madison Square Garden. Also, the Rangers have covered the spread in all their wins. The Rangers defeated the Penguins 4-2 in their last meeting on December 6 at Madison Square Garden.
Here are the Penguins-Rangers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Penguins-Rangers Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: +1.5 (-144)
Moneyline: +172
New York Rangers: -1.5 (+118)
Moneyline: -210
Over: 5.5 (-140)
Under: 5.5 (+114)
How To Watch Penguins vs Rangers
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
TV: NHL Network and MSG
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread/Win
Sidney Crosby did not practice on Wednesday after taking an awkward hit in the game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. If Crosby were to miss this game, it would be a major blow to a team that has already had issues all season and has struggled to beat the Rangers. Significantly, they are already missing Evgeni Malkin, so losing their other veteran star center would be disastrous.
The Pens struggled in their last showdown with the Rangers, going scoreless in the first before Blake Lizotte broke the tie with a second-period goal six minutes in. But they allowed a goal one minute later and then one with two seconds left in the second period. After Philip Tomasino tied it eight minutes into the third, they again allowed the Rangers to score a minute later. Finally, they allowed the finishing goal, with the Rangers covering the spread in the end. The Penguins fired 22 shots on net. Likewise, they won just 35 percent of their faceoffs while also going 0 for 4 on the powerplay.
Alex Nedelkovic finished with 28 saves while allowing four goals. Additionally, they leveled 14 hits and blocked 12 shots in their efforts to thwart the Rangers.
The Penguins will cover the spread if they can get off to a faster start and get more pucks in the net. Then, they must defend the crease and avoid collapsing so easily.
Why the Rangers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Rangers brought back JT Miller after several years, and he will become a focal part of their offense, slotting in at center between Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. This allows the Rangers to have Vincent Trocheck slot at center in the second line in between Reilly Smith and Alexis Lafreniere, giving them two potent lines. While the Rangers are not done making moves, this latest move will only help them as they push for the playoffs after an awful stretch in November and December.
The Rangers blew out the Penguins 6-0 in their opener in Pittsburgh but struggled to start strong in the game in New York, not managing a single goal in the first. However, after the Pens scored, the Rangers bounced back with a goal from Artemi Panarin. Panarin added another goal with two seconds left in the period to give the Rangers the lead. After the Penguins tied it, the Rangers struck again, this time thanks to Reilly Smith. Ultimately, Vincent Trocheck finished it off. The Rangers finished with 32 shots on goal while winning 65 percent of their faceoffs, scoring despite going 0 for 4 on the powerplay.
Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves while allowing two goals. Also, he and this defense went 4 for 4 on the penalty kill while leveling 19 hits and blocking 14 shots. The defense has killed every penalty thus far this season against the Penguins.
The Rangers will cover the spread if they can continue to put pucks in the net and get the advantage. Then, they need to defend the crease and continue killing penalties.
Final Penguins-Rangers Prediction & Pick
The Penguins are 27-28 against the spread, while the Rangers are 21-32 against the spread. Moreover, the Pens are 15-13 against the spread on the road, while the Rags are 9-18 against the spread at home. The Penguins are 29-25-1 against the over/under, while the Rangers are 24-28-1 against the over/under.
The Penguins are hurting right now, while the Rangers are starting to fire on all cylinders, including a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. While the Pens have been good at covering the spread, it has not translated too much, especially against the Rangers. Therefore, I have the Rangers covering the spread at home while ensuring they win this game.
Final Penguins-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+118)
