The Carolina Hurricanes (20-11-1) travel to face off against the New York Rangers (16-15-1) on Sunday, December 22nd. This game will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York and televised on NHLN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 12:30 ET.

Hurricanes vs Rangers

The Carolina Hurricanes Are Coming Off A Win

With a 4-2 win over the Capitals, the Hurricanes improved to 20-11-1 this season. Carolina covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 6 goals matched the pre-game line.

Carolina jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but the Capitals responded with two goals in the first period. The Hurricanes scored the final three goals, including an empty-netter, to secure the victory.

The New York Rangers Are Coming Off A Win

The Rangers moved above .500 with a 5-2 win over the Islanders, bringing their record to 16-15-1. As -1.5 goal favorites, they covered the puck line, and the total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.

Four different players scored for the Rangers, with Artemi Panarin leading the way with two goals. They held a 3-2 lead going into the third period before adding two more goals to secure the victory.

Carolina Offense Breakdown

Dmitry Orlov led the way for the Hurricanes with two goals, bringing his season total to three. Orlov scored Carolina’s first goal at 5:59 in the first period and added another at 14:34 in the second. Martin Necas, who now has six goals this season, scored at 17:31 in the second period. Andrei Svechnikov also netted his sixth goal, an empty-netter at 19:51 in the third.

Carolina fired 45 shots on goal but were held scoreless on power plays. They recorded 14 giveaways and picked up 5 assists on their four goals.

Rangers Offense Breakdown

Artemi Panarin led the way for the Rangers with two goals, including his 9th of the season on an empty net and his 8th on a power play. Chris Kreider opened the scoring with his 8th goal, while Vincent Trocheck netted his 4th. Adam Edstrom added his first goal of the season in the third period.

Mika Zibanejad contributed with three assists, bringing his total to 8 for the season. The Rangers fired 40 shots on goal and scored 5 times, including Kreider’s shorthanded goal in the first period.

Carolina Team Defense

Carolina’s defense gave up two late goals in the first period, but they locked things down after that, not allowing another goal. Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves with a 90.5% save percentage, and the Hurricanes’ defense added 7 takeaways and 10 hits.

New York Team Defense

Defensively, the Rangers will look to carry over their momentum from their previous game, where they allowed just 2 goals to the Islanders. Igor Shesterkin recorded 35 saves with a 94.6% save percentage, and the Rangers’ defense added 10 takeaways, 19 hits, and 18 blocks. The only blemish for the defense came late in the second period, when they allowed a goal with just 8 seconds left.

Hurricanes vs Rangers Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Carolina has an puck line record of 0-3 while averaging 1 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.
• Although New York has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 0-3. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Rangers have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
• Through their last three games as the favorite, the Hurricanes have an puck line record of 2-1 and a straight up mark of 2-1.

Hurricanes vs Rangers Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Hurricanes to secure a victory over the Rangers on the road. With the moneyline currently set at -152, I’m locking in my bet on the Hurricanes straight-up.

If you’re looking for a puck line bet, I’d suggest going with the Rangers to cover. Even in the event of a Hurricanes victory, this game is expected to be closely fought, and the Rangers should cover the puck line.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 5.5 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.