The New York Rangers (17-20-1) travel to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks (13-24-2) on Sunday, January 5th. This game will be played at United Center in Chicago and televised on ABC. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 3:00 ET.

Rangers vs Blackhawks

The New York Rangers Are Coming Off A Win

The Rangers moved closer to .500 with a 5-2 win over the Islanders, bringing their record to 17-20-1. New York covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, 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. Chris Kreider opened the scoring at 16:16 in the first period, and the Rangers never trailed in the game.

The Chicago Blackhawks Are Coming Off A Win

Chicago improved to 13-24-2 with a 4-2 road win over the Ducks. The Blackhawks covered the puck line as underdogs, and the total of 6 goals fell short of the pre-game line of 6.5.

Four different players scored for Chicago, who held a 4-1 lead until Anaheim added a goal with just 4 seconds left. Isaak Phillips got the scoring started at 7:03 in the first period.

New York Offense Breakdown

The Rangers fired 40 shots on goal in their 5-2 win over the Islanders, with Artemi Panarin netting his 9th goal on an empty net and adding his 8th earlier on a power play. Chris Kreider opened the scoring with his 8th goal, while Vincent Trocheck followed with 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 recorded 14 giveaways in the game.

Blackhawks Offense Breakdown

Chicago’s offense found the net four times in their 4-2 victory over Anaheim, with Ryan Donato scoring his 7th goal of the season. Seth Jones added his second goal, while Teuvo Teravainen netted his 4th and Isaak Phillips scored his first goal of the year.

Connor Bedard contributed with two assists, bringing his total to 9 for the season. The Blackhawks fired 29 shots on goal and scored twice on the power play.

New York Team Defense

On defense, the Rangers will look to carry over their momentum from the previous game, where they allowed just 2 goals to the Islanders. Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves with a 94.6% save percentage, and the defense contributed 10 takeaways, 19 hits, and 18 blocks. The only blemish was a late goal with 8 seconds left in the 2nd period, but they shut out the Islanders in the 3rd.

Chicago Team Defense

Defensively, the Blackhawks will look to carry over their performance from their last game, where they allowed just 2 goals to the Ducks. Arvid Söderblom made 38 saves with a 95% save percentage, and the defense contributed 6 takeaways and 5 hits. The only blemish came in the 3rd period, where they gave up two goals—one at the 10:16 mark and another with just 4 seconds remaining.

Rangers vs Blackhawks Trends

• Across the Rangers last five road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 4. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 1-4, while going 1-4 straight-up.
• Across their three previous home games, Chicago has an puck line mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-2 while averaging 2 goals per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Blackhawks have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 1-2.
• Going back to their last five games as the favorite, the Rangers have a straight up record of 2-3. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 0-5.

Rangers vs Blackhawks Prediction

When making a moneyline pick, my choice is the Blackhawks to come out with a win against the Rangers while playing at home. Considering the moneyline odds at +125, I’m placing my bet on the Blackhawks to win outright.

Our projections have the Blackhawks pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Blackhawks, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 6 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down 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.