Bruins, Rangers Set to Trade Goals in Matinee Action

The New York Rangers still have plenty of work to do if they hope to end their Stanley Cup playoff drought – but they're headed in the right direction as they host the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins on Sunday as part of Hockey Day in America. The Rangers have reeled off four consecutive victories but are still seven points back of the second conference wild-card spot.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Bruins kicked things off at -146, and can be found as high as -155 in some places. The total has held steady at 6.Boston Bruins News & Notes

Boston Bruins News & Notes

Having secured their revenge against Detroit with a 4-1 home win over the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon, the Bruins remain one point ahead of red-hot Tampa Bay in the best division title battle in the league. And holding onto that slim edge could prove difficult, with Boston playing seven of its next nine games away from TD Garden (where it has gone 21-2-9 this season.)

And the Bruins are part of another entertaining race – or at least, their leading scorer is. David Pastrnak remained at the front of the Maurice Richard Trophy race with his 42nd goal of the season in Saturday's triumph over the Red Wings, giving him four goals in two games and seven points over his last four. He's a terrific prop option to score against the Rangers.

New York Rangers News & Notes

The Rangers appeared headed for another disappointing season – and that might still be the end result, with New York having to leapfrog three teams to get to that second wild-card berth. But with seven wins in the past nine games (and six of those coming by multiple goals), New York has looked very much like a team that is ready to end a three-year postseason drought.

And while much of the Rangers' recent success can be attributed to sensational goaltending from the tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev, the Artemi Panarin-led offense deserves credit, as well. Panarin has been one of the league's consistent performers, but he's on a whole other level this season, entering Sunday ranked fifth in the league in scoring with 77 points.

Betting Pick: OVER

Both teams have played sterling defensive hockey of late, but the Rangers are a top-5 scoring team at home while the Bruins rank fifth in road scoring. The push is a threat here, but we like this one to be a high-scoring affair.