Madison Square Garden will be the site for an Original Six showdown as the Boston Bruins take the ice against the New York Rangers. The opening face-off is at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 8, and you’ll be able to see the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers Odds
New York (-140) is currently favored over Boston (+120), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -135 for the over and +115 for the under.
New York is 7-9 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (48-34). Through 16 regular season contests, 10 of its games have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 5-6 SU at home thus far.
The Rangers have converted on 24.2 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 17th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
The Rangers, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to stave off opposition power plays for just 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Sporting a .900 save percentage and 26.4 saves per game, Henrik Lundqvist (6-7-2) has been the best option in goal for New York this season. If New York chooses to rest him, however, head coach Alain Vigneault may go with Ondrej Pavelec (1-3-3 record, .887 save percentage, 3.64 goals against average).
The Broadway Blueshirts will continue looking for leadership via Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller. Zibanejad (17 points) has tallied eight goals and nine assists and has recorded multiple points three times this year. Miller has three goals and 12 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in eight contests.
On the other bench, Boston is 6-7 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of seven of its contests have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. The Bruins are 1-3 SU as an away team this season.
The Bruins have scored on 25.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fourth overall and it’s successfully killed off 87.2 percent of all penalties.
Boston’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 4.6 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.2, which was the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 12.3 minutes per outing this year.
Tuukka Rask (2.73 goals against average and .903 save percentage) has been the main option in goal for Boston. Rask is averaging 24.8 saves per game and has three wins, six losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
David Pastrnak (eight goals, six assists) and Brad Marchand (eight goals, six assists) are the top offensive options for Boston and will pace the offensive counter for the visiting Bruins.
Boston Bruins at New York Rangers Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Betting Trends:
- Five of New York’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 4-1 overall in those games.
- The Rangers are 1-4 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 3-3 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
- The total has gone over in four of New York’s last five games.
- New York has averaged 3.3 goals per game overall this season, but has raised that figure up to 4.5 per contest in its past four games (the team’s a perfect 1-0 SU over that span).
- New York has averaged 19.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 15.9 giveaways per game (ranked 32nd).
