The New York Rangers will welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to Madison Square Garden Friday night and could have the services of No. 1 goaltender Igor Shesterkin, as the starter has been out since the beginning of the month.
Can the Knights pick up two points after beating the Devils last night in a heated battle? What will this New York offense look like if Artemi Panarin doesn’t suit up? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Golden Knights vs. Rangers on Friday, December 17.
Golden Knights vs Rangers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Despite being on the backend of a back-to-back, the Golden Knights opened as -130 favorites on the ML and have since moved to -125 with a total of 6 leaning to the Under.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Golden Knights vs Rangers predictions
Predictions made on 12/17/2021 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Golden Knights vs Rangers game info
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• Date: Friday, December 17, 2021
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TVAS, MSG, Sportsnet RM
Golden Knights vs Rangers betting preview
Injuries
Golden Knights: Alex Martinez D (Out), Jack Eichel F (Out).
Rangers: Igor Shesterkin G (Questionable), Artemi Panarin F (Questionable).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Golden Knights vs Rangers head-to-head record (since 2017)
Golden Knights: 4-2 SU, 18 goals for.
Rangers: 2-4 SU, 18 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 8-1 in Golden Knights' last nine road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs. Rangers.
Golden Knights vs Rangers picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline/Puck line analysis
As of Friday morning, tonight’s game between the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights hasn’t been affected by COVID, as zero players from either have been added to the protocol list. That’s where we are in the NHL betting world right now, and it’s extremely important that bettors check the latest COVID news as players are being added throughout the day. With that said, this is one of the few games that is safe from virus handicapping for now.
The Knights played in New Jersey last night and covered as the favorite with a 5-3 win that had some extracurriculars near the end of the third period. Robin Lehner was looking for a fight and got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. We doubt we’ll see him in the crease tonight, as Peter DeBoer will likely turn to Laurent Brossoit. The Vegas backup has better numbers than Lehner in limited action, but he is coming off a four-goal game and his .911 SV% is right around league average.
There are a lot of question marks for the home team, who is 9-3 SU in its last 12 but 2-3 SU in its last five. No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin is nearing a return and could make the start, as he’s been practicing, but there is a possibility that the Rangers hold him out until the Christmas break. If he doesn’t suit up, Alex Georgiev will likely start. The backup has been playing well in Shesterkin's absence and has given up just 10 goals in his last five games.
Another uncertainty for the Rangers — who are sporting the league’s No. 2 power play over the last three weeks — is the health of forward and leading scorer Artemi Panarin, who left early in Wednesday’s game against the Coyotes. His availability is unknown, but Kaapo Kakko looked great filling in for him scoring twice (one on the power play) in a 3-2 win vs. Arizona.
Vegas has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the league over its last 10 games (4.44 goals per game) but with New York paying +105 on the ML, it’s hard to pass that up. New York’s head coach Gerard Gallant knows the Knights well, as he coached them for three seasons. The visitors just played a tough game a night ago and will be playing their third road game in four nights. If Panarin or Shesterkin get the green light, we could see this move to a pick ‘em or even a New York favorite.
The Rangers are 8-2 SU in their last 10 home games, and even though they have just five goals over their last three games, they finished off their road trip in Arizona with a come-from-behind win and have the schedule advantage, as well as one in net. The Vegas penalty kill has been dreadful of late and that should play into the strengths of the home team.
Prediction: Rangers ML (+105)
Over/Under analysis
The Knights have hit another gear offensively of late. Their 4.75 goals per game is the highest mark in the NHL this month and the Over is 6-2 in their last eight. They’re generating a ton of high-danger chances and look like a different team from the start of the year now that they are nearly back to full health.
Defensively, the Knights have been anything but stout. They boast average goaltending in Lehner and Brossoit and are giving up over three goals per game this month. At even strength, they have the No. 2 offense and give up over 2.00 even-strength goals per game, which is a Bottom-10 mark. Lately, it’s been their penalty killing that has been their biggest Achilles heel.
Vegas’ PK has given up at least one goal in four of its last five games, and seven total goals over that stretch. The Rangers have one of the league’s best power-play units and should get plenty of opportunities, as they draw penalties at one of the higher rates in the league.
The ideal goalie matchup for this Over would be Brossoit vs. Georgiev (or even Kinklaid), but if Shesterkin gets the nod, we shouldn’t worry too much. Vegas has a ton of confidence offensively, and getting back to the form that Shesterkin was playing at could take a game or two.
The New York offense can’t be held down for long, and facing a generous Vegas team on a back-to-back could help it get going. This total is leaning heavily to the Under but could move north later in the day with goalies being confirmed and if Panarin suits up.
Prediction: Over 6 (+100)
Best bet
The New York ML is moving quickly and will likely settle closer to a pick ‘em than the opening +110 New York ML price. We still like the Rangers up to -110, but this total is more to our liking than the moneyline.
Georgiev is coming off a four-goal game after playing over his head for a five-game stretch. The only decent offense New York has seen over the last month has been Colorado, who totaled 11 goals in two meetings.
Vegas is averaging 7.88 total goals per game in December, which is the largest combined total over that stretch. A hot offense and poor goaltending have made them profitable to the Over of late. Likely turning to a backup and on the backend of a traveling back-to-back has us looking at this Over 6 +100 as our best bet here.
Pick: Over 6 (+100)
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