The New York Rangers (27-25-4) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (23-26-9) on Sunday, February 23rd. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on TNT. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 3:30 ET.

Rangers vs Penguins

The New York Rangers Are Coming Off A Win

The Rangers improved to 27-25-4 with a 5-2 road win over the Islanders. 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 before adding two more in the third period to secure the win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

Pittsburgh improved to 23-26-9 with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. The Penguins covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, with the total of 4 goals falling short of the 6.5 goal line.

Sidney Crosby scored the first two goals for the Penguins, with Blake Lizotte adding an empty-netter to seal the win. The Canadiens scored their lone goal in the third period, cutting the lead to 2-1 before Lizotte’s goal.

New York Offense Breakdown

Artemi Panarin netted his 8th and 9th goals of the season, with his second coming on an empty net in the Rangers’ 5-2 victory over the Islanders. Chris Kreider opened the scoring with his 8th goal, which came shorthanded. Vincent Trocheck added his 4th goal, while Adam Edstrom found the net for the first time this season.

Mika Zibanejad contributed with three assists, bringing his total to 8 for the season. The Rangers fired 40 shots on goal and scored their 3rd goal on a power play. They ended the game with 14 giveaways.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the way for the Penguins with two goals in their 3-1 victory over Montreal. He scored early in the first period and added his fifth goal of the season on a power play in the second. Blake Lizotte netted his second goal of the season, an empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the game.

The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his third assist on Lizotte’s goal, while Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson added assists on Crosby’s second goal, bringing their season totals to three and seven, respectively.

New York Team Defense

Defensively, the Rangers will look to carry over their third-period performance from their previous game, where they shut out the Islanders in the final frame. Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves with a 94.6% save percentage, and the defense contributed 10 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed in the third period came with just 8 seconds left in the 2nd period.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just one goal to Montreal. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, finishing with a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also recorded 5 takeaways and 19 hits.

Rangers vs Penguins Trends

• In their last three games away from home, the Rangers have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 0-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 3 goals per game in this stretch.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Pittsburgh has an puck line record of 2-3 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 1-4 overall in these games.
• In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Penguins have a straight up record of 5-5 and an puck line mark of 7-3.
• In their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Rangers have a straight up record of 5-5 and an puck line mark of 2-8.

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 -138, I’m placing a wager on the Rangers to win outright.

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.

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.