The Pittsburgh Penguins (22-24-9) travel to face off against the New York Rangers (26-23-4) on Friday, February 7th. 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 7:00 ET.

Penguins vs Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

The Penguins picked up a 3-1 road win against the Canadiens, moving to 22-24-9 on the season. Pittsburgh, favored by -1.5 goals, covered the puck line, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the pre-game line of 6.5.

Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the win. The Penguins kept Montreal scoreless until the third period, when the Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1.

The New York Rangers Are Coming Off A Win

The Rangers improved to 26-23-4 with a 5-2 win over the Islanders. Entering as -1.5 goal favorites, they covered the puck line with ease. The pre-game total was set at 6 goals, and the combined 7 goals surpassed that mark.

Four different Rangers players contributed to the scoring, with Artemi Panarin leading the way with two goals. The Rangers built a 2-0 lead before the Islanders got on the board, and they pulled away with two more goals in the third period.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the way for the Penguins with two goals, including his fifth of the season on a power play. He scored on two of his three shots on goal, with his first coming at 15:57 in the first period. Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter, his second goal of the season.

The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and were credited with 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his third assist of the season on Lizotte’s empty-net goal, while Kris Letang added his third assist and Erik Karlsson notched his seventh on Crosby’s power-play goal.

Rangers Offense Breakdown

Artemi Panarin led the way 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 added his 4th. Adam Edstrom also found the net, scoring his 1st goal of the season.

Mika Zibanejad contributed with three assists, bringing his total to 8 for the season. The Rangers fired 40 shots on goal and scored once while shorthanded.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on a strong performance in their previous game, where they allowed just 1 goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage, and the defense contributed 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they gave up came at 5:32 in the 3rd period.

New York Team Defense

Defensively, the Rangers will look to carry over their strong third period from the previous game, where they held the Islanders scoreless. Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves with a 94.6% save percentage, and the defense recorded 10 takeaways, 19 hits, and 18 blocks. The Rangers will aim to improve their second-period performance, where they allowed both of the Islanders’ goals.

Penguins vs Rangers Trends

• Across the Penguins last five road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 2-3, while going 2-3 straight-up.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, New York has an puck line record of 1-2 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Rangers have an puck line record of 4-1 in their last five games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 3-2.
• Going back to their last five games as the favorite, the Penguins have a straight up record of 1-4. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 1-4.

Penguins vs Rangers Prediction

For those seeking a straight moneyline bet, the Rangers are the top choice. Nonetheless, with a payout of -202, you might want to use this bet as a part of a parlay to get better odds.

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

For those looking at the over/under line set at 6 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.