Rangers vs Penguins

The New York Rangers Look To Start Their Season With A Win

The Rangers finished last season with a 55-23-4 record, placing them at the top of the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division. They went 34-16 in Eastern Conference games and 18-8 in divisional matchups. At home, New York was 30-11, while they posted a 25-12-4 record on the road.

Against the puck line, the Rangers went 32-50, with 23 of their wins coming by one goal and 32 by multiple goals. Their over/under record was 44-35-3, and their games averaged 6.2 goals per game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Look To Start Their Season With A Win

The Rangers finished last season with a 38-32-12 record, placing 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 23-27 mark in those games. In the Metropolitan Division, they went 13-13, good for 5th. At home, New York was 23-14-4, while on the road, they finished 15-18-8.

As favorites, the Rangers went 25-16-7, but struggled against the puck line, going 19-29. As underdogs, they were 16-16-5 straight-up and 7-27 against the puck line. Their over/under record was 36-40-6, with their games averaging 6.2 goals per game.

New York Offense Breakdown

Heading into their season opener against Pittsburgh, the Rangers are coming off a strong offensive season, finishing 7th in the NHL with 3.4 goals per game. They were also 8th in assists. Despite being 12th in giveaways, they managed to rank 6th in shorthanded goals.

New York was particularly effective on the power play, ranking 4th in the league. They averaged 31.4 shots on goal per game, placing them 12th overall.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Last season, Pittsburgh ranked 16th in goals per game, averaging 3.1, and they were 20th in assists. Despite these mid-tier rankings, they were 6th in shots on goal, averaging 32.6 per game. This suggests they were creating offensive chances but struggled to convert them into goals.

Looking at special teams, the Penguins were 9th in shorthanded goals but 19th in power play goals. They also ranked 20th in giveaways, indicating room for improvement in avoiding turnovers.

New York Team Defense

Last season, the Rangers were one of the top defensive teams in the NHL, allowing just 2.6 goals per game, which ranked them 5th in the league. They also limited opponents to 29.3 shots on goal per game, the 5th lowest mark in the NHL. New York recorded six shutouts, the 3rd most in the league.

In terms of takeaways, the Rangers ranked 15th last season, while they were 14th in defensive hits.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Last season, the Penguins were among the NHL’s best in takeaways, finishing 4th, and they were 15th in goals allowed, giving up 2.9 per game. They also recorded seven shutouts, which ranked 2nd in the league.

In terms of shots on goal allowed, Pittsburgh was 15th, giving up 30.2 per game. They ranked 26th in defensive hits.

Rangers vs Penguins Trends

• New York has a 1-2 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 3-0.
• Across the Penguins last five home games, the team averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 2-3, while going 4-1 straight-up.
• The Penguins have played well in their last five games as the betting underdog, going 3-2 straight up and 4-1 against the spread.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Rangers have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their puck line record was 2-1 in these scenarios.

Rangers vs Penguins Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Rangers to defeat the Penguins while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at -139, I’m placing a wager on the Rangers to win outright.

My recommended pick for the puck line is to take the Penguins to cover. Even if the Rangers win straight-up, this one should be close throughout and the Penguins should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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

* 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.