Rangers vs Golden Knights Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Rangers Light Up Sin City

Injuries continue to mount for the Vegas Golden Knights, and they host the New York Rangers at T-Mobile Arena in one of Thursday’s marquee matchups on the ice. Both teams are eyeing deep playoff runs this spring and hang with the betting favorites in the Stanley Cup odds.

Vegas No. 1 center Jack Eichel (lower body) is the latest Golden Knight to hit injured reserve, and his absence will be tough to compensate for. Eichel was leading the team in goals and points before the injury, and Vegas was already a middle-of-the-pack offense ranking 18th in goals per game (3.09).

New York hits Sin City as a road favorite in the NHL odds, and Rangers recently received a boost with 22-year-old winger Kaapo Kakko returning to the lineup and slotting into a top-line role alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Here are our free NHL picks and NHL player props for the Rangers vs. Golden Knights matchup on Thursday, January 18.

Rangers vs Golden Knights odds

Rangers vs Golden Knights predictions

I’ve been waiting for New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin to flip the switch and return to Vezina Trophy form for over a month and a half. Every time he looks to be stringing it together, he has a blowup start. Shesterkin stopped 53 of 56 shots across consecutive wins his last two times to the crease, and I think this is the perfect setup for another tidy showing.

The Vegas Golden Knights are reeling along a 4-8 stretch with just 20 five-on-five goals, and as noted, they just lost their best offensive center. Add a 30th-ranked 11.1 power-play percentage, and Shesterkin and the Rangers are positioned to hold the Vegas offense in check.

New York has allowed the ninth-fewest goals per game (2.81) fueled by a ninth-ranked 82.5 penalty-kill percentage. And, as discussed, Shesterkin still hasn’t played to his full potential yet. The Russian netminder’s .912 save percentage and 0.07 goals saved above average per 60 at 5-on-5 this season are far below the .931 and 0.21 marks he posted across 111 appearances the past two seasons. 

I anticipate Shesterkin keeping it rolling to lead the Rangers over the Golden Knights on Thursday.

My best bet: Rangers moneyline (-130 bet365)

Rangers vs Golden Knights same-game parlay

Rangers moneyline

Alex Pietrangelo Under 0.5 points

Ivan Barbashev Under 0.5 points

+260 at bet365

I’m targeting the Unders for Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and winger Ivan Barbashev because both players are in the midst of offensive slumps. Additionally, the pair of Unders correlate with the backbone of my Rangers moneyline, which is Shesterkin having a third consecutive strong showing.

With Vegas struggling offensively and missing key scorers, I’m expecting goals to be hard to come by for the Golden Knights. Pietrangelo has missed the scoresheet in 10 of his past 14 games, and Barbashev is sporting a seven-game point drought. Neither Pietrangelo nor Barbashev skate on the No. 1 power-play unit, so I’m expecting them to see limited minutes with the man advantage Thursday.

Finally, it’s definitely notable that this same-game parlay is priced at just +238 through DraftKings, so we’re landing a much better number through bet365. The difference checks out as a positive expected value of 7%.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Rangers vs Golden Knights moneyline and Over/Under analysis

There has been small movement to the New York side at bet365. The Rangers opened as a -125 moneyline favorite, and they climbed as high as -135 before settling at -130 Thursday afternoon. With Shesterkin confirmed as the New York starter, I doubt we’ll see any significant shifts in the odds leading into puck drop.

This total doesn’t have a consensus number with both 6.0 and 5.5 available depending on the shop. The Over is carrying the higher vig on the 5.5 totals, while the Under is carrying the chalk on the 6.0 numbers. I definitely prefer the Under 6.0 based on my expectation of Shesterkin playing well, and the Golden Knights continuing to struggle finding the back of the net.

Rangers vs Golden Knights betting trend to know

The total has gone Under in five of the past six home games for the Golden Knights. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Golden Knights.

Rangers vs Golden Knights game info

Rangers vs Golden Knights latest injuries

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