The Pittsburgh Penguins begin their playoff push without star-forward Evegeni Malkin when they visit the New York Rangers Sunday afternoon. Goals tend to be rare when the two Metropolitan Division rivals meet, so Malkin’s absence will be noted even further by UNDER bettors.
- The Penguins are 1-4 SU in the previous five meetings.
- The Penguins are 1-7 SU in their last eight games following a win in their previous effort.
- The Rangers are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games versus the Eastern Conference.
Malkin has been ruled out for six-to-eight weeks following a collision with Dalton Prout of the Columbus Blue Jackets that resulted in an upper-body injury Friday evening. The Pens currently own the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they head into Sunday’s meeting with 78 points, but are just two ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash returned to the lineup for the New York Rangers on Saturday, but the additions weren’t enough to get the Blueshirts into the win column as they fell 3-2 to the Detroit Red Wings. The Rangers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 85 points but the fast-charging Islanders are right behind with 82 points and two games in hand.
UNDER bets have been hot when these two play as it has gone 4-0-1 in the previous five including a 1-0-1 mark in a pair of games this season. The last time the two met was a 4-1 Penguins victory earlier this month.
The previous four prior to that March meeting, however, have all resulted in scorelines where the teams combine for just 3.0 goals scored per game.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 3-2.2 result in favor of the Penguins. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
New York will face the 35-24-8 Penguins. In totals betting, the Rangers are 29-27-12 in over under betting so far this season while the Pittsburgh Penguins are 27-28-12. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and New York vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
The Odds Shark NHL Power Rankings have the New York Rangers at No. 3 and the Pittsburgh Penguins at No. 14 heading into this contest.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits New York's No. 7-ranked offense, averaging 2.85 goals per game, against a Penguins defense that ranks No. 11 at 2.54 goals allowed. The Rangers power play is averaging 19.21% while the Penguins defense kills off 83.5% of their penalties.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 3-2 Sportsbook as they battled the Blue Jackets on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Penguins at -157 were rewarded, while the 5 combined goals moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
The Rangers were a 3-2 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Red Wings. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Detroit at -102 on the moneyline, while the total score (5) was good news for OVER bettors.
- Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
- Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
- NY Rangers is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
- NY Rangers is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
- NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Next Betting Matchups
Pittsburgh home to New York, Tuesday, March 15th
New York at Anaheim, Wednesday, March 16th
