Penguins are heavy favorites in Big Apple vs Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won four of their last five games and now get to face the sputtering New York Rangers. The Penguins and Rangers seem to be going in opposite directions as New York is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games and opened as a +180 underdog in this matchup.

SHARK BITES
  • The Rangers are 6-2 SU in their last eight games vs their division at home.
  • The Penguins are 12-4 SU and ATS in their last 16 games vs the Rangers.
  • The Rangers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games at home.

Evgeni Malkin has been on fire this season with 87 points and sits four points back of the league lead in scoring. As a result, the Penguins have been a scoring machine since the all-star break with a whopping 4.11 goals per game. Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby also sit in the top 10 in scoring which has carried the Pens to second in the Metropolitan Division. When Pittsburgh is scoring like this, the absence of goaltender Matt Murray is negligible.

Although Pittsburgh is lighting the lamp like it’s the 1980s, the team’s performance on the road has been its Achilles heel at 14-21 SU this season and 1-3 SU in its last four games. If bettors are willing to overlook the Penguins’ overall road performance, the trend they should latch onto is Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last eight trips to Madison Square Garden (including playoffs) and outscored the Rangers 33-17 in those games.

As for the Rangers, although they’re coming off a convincing win over the Hurricanes on Monday, it would be hard to endorse a wager on the Blueshirts when you consider New York is 28th in scoring and dead last in goals allowed per game since the all-star break. The Rangers are 3-7 SU in the last 10 games in this matchup and sit 12th in the Eastern Conference standings.

The total opened at 6 and if Pittsburgh is involved, so should backing the OVER. The OVER has hit in the Penguins’ last six games on the road with an average combined score of 8.5 goals per game. It’s also worth noting the OVER has hit in eight of the last nine games in this matchup.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

NHL hockey oddsmakers at Sportsbook had the New York Rangers as +148 moneyline underdogs in this betting matchup. Those OVER/UNDER betting saw the line open at 6 at Sportsbook.

Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 3.6-2.3 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

Supporters of the Pittsburgh Penguins have seen them go 40-26-4 so far this season, while the Rangers are at 31-32-7. In totals betting, the Rangers are 38-31-1, while the Penguins are 38-30-2. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and New York vs Pittsburgh injuries news.

The Rangers sit at No. 31 in the current NHL power poll here at OddsShark, while the  Penguins sit at No. 1 on the same chart.

Statistical Matchup

The game also pits New York's No. 17-ranked offense, averaging 2.87 goals per game, against a Pittsburgh defense that ranks No. 19 at 3.01 goals allowed. The Rangers power play is averaging 20.39% while the Penguins defense kills off 81.3% of their penalties.

Recent Outings Betting Recap

In their last action, Pittsburgh was a 3-1 Sportsbook at home against the Stars. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -140 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.

The Rangers were a 6-3 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Hurricanes. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got New York at +122 on the moneyline, while the total score (9) was good news for OVER bettors.

Betting Trends
  • Pittsburgh is 15-8 ATS in its last 23 games
  • Pittsburgh is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
  • Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games
  • New York is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
  • New York is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
  • New York is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
  • New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

Next Betting Matchups

Pittsburgh at Montreal, Thursday, March 15
New York at St. Louis, Saturday, March 17

The Rangers are 6-2 SU in their last eight games vs their division at home.home The Penguins are 12-4 SU and ATS in their last 16 games vs the Rangers. The Rangers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games at home.home
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