In a battle for playoff position and seeding, the Rangers vs Penguins matchup stands out as a marquee game on a very good NHL Tuesday slate. Pittsburgh currently clings to a one-point lead over the third-place Rangers, but by the time the final horn sounds, these teams could flip-flop spots within the Metropolitan Divison.
Both teams are coming off a game against extremely inferior opponents, and while they both won their previous game, the Penguins did so via an 11-2 annihilation of the Red Wings. It took New York overtime to get past the Sabres.
Let’s take a look at the NHL betting odds, trends and picks for the game and give our Rangers vs Penguins prediction.
Rangers vs Penguins NHL Betting Preview and Prediction
NHL Regular Season
New York Rangers (42-19-5 20-13-2 Away) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-17-10, 19-9-5 Home)
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Venue: PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh, PA
Coverage: ESPN+
Goaltending: NYR: Igor Shesterkin (2.11/.936 – Expected) | PIT: Tristan Jarry (2.31/.922 – Expected)
It doesn’t take much analyzing this Rangers vs Penguins game to realize it is likely going to come down to goaltending. Tristan Jarry has been very good for the Penguins all season and should rightfully be on the outskirts of the Vezina Trophy consideration. Shesterkin has been phenomenal for the Rangers, locking up the Vezina Trophy weeks ago. Both teams enter the contest allowing the exact same amount of goals per game, at 2.58. That is the third-best in the NHL.
For playoff-bound teams, games this time of year start to mean more. They start to matter more. They start to elicit more effort. This game feels like it will be an all-out battle from the crease through the goal line in both directions. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Penguins can lock in after coming down from the high of scoring 11 goals.
If that is indeed the way the game goes, a six-goal total provides plenty of cushion. Some books have already lowered it to 5.5 around the same -120 number, so we advise acting quickly if you like the under as a play.
Rangers vs Penguins NHL Betting Odds & Spread
NHL Betting odds for Rangers vs Penguins are taken from BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: NYR: (+145) | PIT: (-165)
Puck Line: NYR: +1.5 (-175) | PIT: -1.5 (+155)
Total: 6 — Over: (EVEN) | Under: (-120)
Team Totals: NYR o2.5 (-120) / u2.5 (-110) | PIT o3 (-145) / u3 (+110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: NYR: (37%) | PIT: (63%)
Odds to Win Stanley Cup: NYR: (+2000) | PIT: (+1600)
Rangers vs Penguins NHL Betting Trends
– New York is 33-33 (50%) ATS this season
– New York is 26-39-1 (40.2%) to the Over this season
– Pittsburgh is 33-34 (49.3%) ATS this season
– Pittsburgh is 32-32-3 (50%) to the Over this season
Rangers vs Penguins NHL Stats
– New York averages 3.02 goals per game (GPG) this season (No. 18 in NHL)
– Rangers have surrendered 2.58 GPG (T-No. 3 in NHL)
– Pittsburgh averages 3.31 GPG this season (No. 9 in NHL)
– Penguins have surrendered 2.58 GPG (T-No. 3 in NHL)
– New York has a goal differential of +31 in 66 games this season
– Pittsburgh has a goal differential of +46 in 67 games this season
Signup for BetUS Sportsbook today for a 125% Bonus up to $2,500!
Rangers vs Penguins Prediction
Our Rangers vs Penguins prediction is pretty simple. This game will be a hard-fought, close contest between two very good teams. The goaltenders will not face a lack of shots, but will be up to the task on almost all of them. The first team to score three goals will likely win this game. Lock in the under six while you can.
Our NHL betting Rangers vs Penguins prediction tonight will be Game Total Under 6 at BetUS
For what it’s worth, numberFire gives the Penguins a 61.4 % chance to win.
Rangers vs Penguins Prediction and Picks
Game Total – u6 (-120)