NHL Playoff Betting: NY Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Apr 29, 2008 | By Steve White | Picks Articles Archive

The N.Y. Rangers aren’t about to give up after dropping 0-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals best of seven. It seems that oddsmakers don’t favor the Pens just because their up two games. BetUS.com has the Rangers as 145-moneyline favorites over the Penguins +125 with the over/under posted at 5 goals. Get your NHL Playoff Prediction in now at BetUS.com

GAME: Pittsburgh Penguins (53-27-4-4) at New York Rangers (46-29-5-9)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, April 29 - 7:00 PM EST
LINE: BetUS.com TOTAL: 5
PICK: Rangers -145

The Penguins have outscored the Rangers 7-4 thanks to Jordan Staal, Jarkko Ruutu (2), Pascal Dupuis, Petr Sykora and Marion Hossa who have all scored in this series. Crosby and Malkin have been held in check by the Rangers defense. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his second shutout in the playoffs and now he’s 6-0 with a 1.51 GAA, the best out of any goalie in the playoffs. Last year in the second round the Rangers dropped the first two games on the road against top-seeded Buffalo. They returned home and got the series tied, so the Pens know home ice is advantageous to the Rangers. The Pens are 2-0 SU on the road in the playoffs and 5-5 SU during their last ten overall.

The Rangers were completely shutout in Game 2 after scoring four goals in Game 1. If they can put together the defensive effort they did in Game 2 along with the offense they had in Game 1, they’ll be right back in it. Their power play was held scoreless last game after they had four games with at least one goal. During the regular season against the Pens they had five goals on 35 power plays. They must cut down on penalties as their opponents have a power play goal in five games. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist has been great going 4-2-1 with a 2.55 GAA, but there is room for improvement. The Rangers are 4-0 SU at home against the Pens and 6-4 SU during their last 10 at home. Scott Gomez and Sean Avery are the top scorers with four goals each, while Jaromir Jagr leads with 10pts.

Recent Trends to Consider

Rangers are 5-1 in their last 6 playoff games as a favorite.
Home team is 19-7 in the last 26 meetings.
Favorite is 19-7 in the last 26 meetings.
Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Penguins are 0-5 in the last 5 meetings in New York.

The Bottom Line: The Rangers are better at home where they have the support of their fans. The Pens have only played two games on the road which was in Ottawa against a team that was awful. Get your NHL Playoff Prediction in now at BetUS.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit.

NHL Playoff Betting: NY Rangers vs Pittsburgh Penguins

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