There are five games on the NHL betting board for Monday night, headlined by what should be a close game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers.
The Pens are coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Rangers on Saturday night and will look to make it back-to-back wins at Madison Square Garden.
We break down the NHL odds with our best Penguins vs. Rangers picks and predictions for Monday, February 1, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers Betting Preview
Injuries
Penguins: Kris Letang D (Questionable), Zach Aston-Reese LW (Out), Mike Matheson D (Out), Marcus Pettersson D (Out), Juuso Riikola D (Out), Brian Dumoulin D (Out), Evan Rodrigues LW (Out).
Rangers: Colin Blackwell C (Out), Jack Johnson D (Questionable), Filip Chytil C (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Over is 18-5-3 in the last 26 meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Rangers.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonPittsburgh opened a very slim -110 favorite to New York's -106, and the moneyline was a -108 pick 'em late last night, then stretched to Pens -118 late this morning. As of 4 p.m. ET, the Penguins are -112 favorites and are taking 74 percent of bets/60 percent of cash. The total opened at 6.5 (Under -115), went to 6.5 flat (-110) for a few hours overnight, then returned to 6.5 (Under -115), with 53 percent of bets on the Under and money running dead even.
Check out the full line movement for this gameMoneyline Pick
These teams have already played against each other three times this season and despite Pittsburgh winning each time, it's remarkable how close each of those games has been.
The Pens won in overtime on Saturday, beat the Rangers 3-2 a week ago thanks to a game-winning goal with one minute remaining in the third period, and won in a shootout on January 22.
As a matter of fact, despite the Rangers going 1-5 in their last six games, every one of those losses has been by just a single goal. The Penguins are in the opposite situation, going 5-1 in their last six games but every one of those wins coming by just one goal—including four of those victories coming in OT or a shootout.
This could be the night the hockey gods see fit to reverse the luck for both teams, especially with the karma cleanse that the Rangers performed by waiving Tony DeAngelo and his punchable face. The John Rocker wannabe was jettisoned after his latest altercation with a teammate and while his on-ice talent will be missed, his absence should benefit the locker room.
Despite the Penguins' recent winning streak, they remain one of the worst defensive teams in the league, surrendering a whopping 3.78 goals per game. With Pittsburgh also just 1-6 in their last seven games on the road we're backing the home side tonight.
PREDICTION: New York Rangers ML (-105)
Over/Under Pick
We mentioned the Penguins brutal play in net and that falls on the shoulders of No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry and backup Casey DeSmith, who is expected to get the start tonight. DeSmith is a perfect 3-0-0, but has a 3.05 goals-against average and a save percentage of .875. He got the start Saturday against New York as well, giving up four goals on 34 shots.
Pittsburgh's defense has also been a mess in front of them. All three of Pittsburgh's left-handed defenseman from opening day (Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson and Brian Dumoulin) are sidelined with injuries and the Pens best overall blueliner, Kris Letang, is questionable after leaving Saturday's game with a lower-body injury.
That combination of a decimated defense and subpar goalies could mean lots of scoring opportunities for a Rangers side that is third in the league with 33.6 shots per game.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have their own problems on the back end. Igor Shesterkin will likely get the nod between the pipes against Pittsburgh but has yet to recapture his form as a rookie last year, posting a save percentage of just .894 in five games this season.
Although DeAngelo's absence should help with chemistry, he was still a defenseman logging 20 minutes per game of ice time, so New York's blueline depth could be an issue as well.
While depth at the back end is an issue, there is plenty of talent up front for both teams, including stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Artemi Panarin. With the Over going a commanding 18-5-3 in the last 26 meetings between these Eastern Conference foes, back it again tonight.
PREDICTION: Over 6 (-123)
Penguins vs Rangers Betting Card
- New York Rangers ML (-105)
- Over 6 (-123)
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