After an offensive eruption on Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Penguins scored 11 times, goals might be harder to come by tonight against Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers.
The Rangers didn’t wait long to score goals when these two teams met last Friday, as the Rangers put up three goals in the opening five minutes, but Tristan Jarry will make sure that doesn’t happen again tonight. The Penguins, meanwhile, are hoping they still have some goals left in them for this game after their incredible performance against the Red Wings.
Here are our free NHL picks and predictions for the Rangers vs. Penguins tonight, March 29.
Rangers vs Penguins odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Penguins opened up as -145 home favorites, the line has moved heavily in their favor to -165. The total opened up at 6, but now sits at 5.5.
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.
Rangers vs Penguins predictions
Predictions made on 3/29/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Rangers vs Penguins game info
• Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
• Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh, MSG
Rangers vs Penguins betting preview
Key injuries
Rangers: Ryan Strome F (Questionable), Libor Hajek D (Questionable), Kevin Rooney F (Out), Kaapo Kakko F (Out), Sammy Blais F (Out).
Penguins: Brock McGinn F (Out), Nathan Beaulieu D (Out), Jason Zucker F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Rangers vs Penguins head-to-head record
Rangers: 3-5-2 SU, 30 goals for.
Penguins: 7-3-0 SU, 32 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 2-0-2 in the last four meetings between these two teams in Pittsburgh. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Penguins.
Rangers vs Penguins picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Rangers haven’t had much luck in the PPG Paints Arena lately, as they are 0-4-1 in their last five trips to Pittsburgh dating back to last season. The Rangers came very close to getting the victory in their last trip as they entered the third period tied in a scoreless hockey game. Unfortunately for them, Evgeni Malkin was able to find the back of the net on a power play and they fell short in a 1-0 defeat. The home team has won six of the last seven contests between these two teams.
The Penguins had what is arguably their best offensive performance in franchise history on Sunday. They scored 11 goals, led by Evgeni Malkin who potted a hat-trick and added an assist on the way to defeat the Red Wings 11-2. This was a huge response after only scoring one goal against the Rangers two nights prior. Pittsburgh needed all of the offensive confidence that it could possibly gain going into tonight’s game against the Rangers since it has only scored a total of two goals in two games when facing Shesterkin.
Despite their struggle to score in the first two meetings against the Rangers, the Pens' offense has been solid all year, ranking ninth in production at 3.31 goals per game, outperforming their 3.16 xGF/60. They have been led by their captain for the last decade, as Sidney Crosby has had a phenomenal season with 69 points in 55 games. He’s gotten tons of help from his linemate Jake Guentzel (65 points) along with his longtime teammates Kris Letang (56) and Malkin (32 in 30 games).
The Rangers have looked much stronger offensively since they made their moves at the trade deadline. Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp have especially stood out in their first couple of games and they have both been playing as advertised. Vatrano has four goals in his first six games with the team and Copp has one goal, four assists in his first three games with the team.
There is no doubt that these guys have fit right into this lineup and have helped with the Rangers’ lack of 5-on-5 production. That being said, playing on the road in Pittsburgh is a different kind of beast. The Pens are 19-9-5 on home ice and haven’t had any issues beating the Rangers as of late.
Tristan Jarry might not be as incredible as Shesterkin, but he definitely holds his own. Jarry has a GAA of 2.31, which is only slightly more than Shesterkin’s 2.11 goals against average. I like the Penguins’ chances on home ice with Jarry in the blue paint.
Prediction: Penguins moneyline (-165)
Over/Under analysis
The Penguins are going to focus on having a much better start in this game than they did on Friday night. It was very uncharacteristic of them to allow three goals in the game’s opening five minutes, as they are tied for the third-best defensive team in the league. The Pens only allow 2.58 goals against per game, which funnily enough, is the exact same as the Rangers.
This matchup will feature two of the Top-10 goalies in the league this season, Shesterkin for the Rangers and Jarry for the Pens. Shesterkin continues to run away with the Vezina trophy and is also being talked about as the league’s MVP, while Jarry is doing everything in his power to catch the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan division.
Jarry has had a phenomenal season for Pittsburgh, as he is skating to a 33-13-6 record with a .922 save percentage and a seventh-best 15.7 GSAx. Oddly enough, Shesterkin doesn’t have as many wins as Jarry, but he is 31-9-3 on the season with a .936 save percentage and has dropped to a league’s second-best GSAx of 31.5.
Both goalies are the backbone of their respective teams and the last time these two teams met in the Steel City, it was all about them. I think tonight will be a similar story.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (+105)
Best bet
It’s going to be very interesting to see if Ryan Strome plays or not for the Rangers. If Strome is out of the lineup there is a gap to fill for the Rangers on the second line and on their first power-play unit, which is the second-best power play in the league as they convert on 26.4% of their chances.
Their man-advantage unit will already have a big challenge, as the Pens have the second-best penalty kill in the league with an 86.3% success rate. In the two games they have played this season, the Rangers have not been able to convert on their three power-play chances so they may struggle once again in that area tonight.
The Pens have yet to score an even-strength goal against the Rangers this season as both their goals have come on the power play. A key focus for the Rangers will be to stay out of the penalty box, knowing how dangerous their man advantage unit can be.
This game is going to be all about Shesterkin versus Jarry, as both teams are trying to catch the Hurricanes for first place in the division. The Pens will learn from their mistakes on Friday and focus on having a stronger start to this game while tightening up defensively. I don’t expect many goals in this game as this should have a playoff-type of atmosphere, in a close, tight-fought battle. I love the Under.
Pick: Under 5.5 (+105)
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