by Rod Pearson
Monday, May 20, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Panthers -115, Rangers -105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Panthers -115, Rangers -105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Panthers -115, Rangers -105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Florida Panthers: 52-24-6 (1st place, Atlantic Division)
New York Rangers: 55-23-4 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
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Recent Form
Florida Panthers: 7-3-0 last 10
New York Rangers: 8-2-0 last 10
Florida Panthers vs New York Rangers Preview and Analysis
The Panthers are entering this game with 110 points, a 52-24-6 record overall, and they were 26-11-4 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Boston Bruins in their last game, winning that one on the road 2-1. Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Anton Lundell, Matthew Tkachuk, and Carter Verhaeghe each led the team in assists with 1 while Gustav Forsling led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 23 shots with 22 saves and a .957 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 268 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 200 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.
The Rangers are entering this game with 114 points, a 55-23-4 record overall, and they were 30-11-0 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, winning that one on the road 5-3. Chris Kreider led the team in goals scored with 3 as he recorded the hattrick while Vincent Trocheck and Barclay Goodrow each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Artemi Panarin and Jack Roslovic each led the team in assists with 2 while Chris Kreider led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 36 shots with 33 saves and a .917 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 282 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 229 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.
Panthers vs Rangers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Rangers in the Metropolitan Division and the 1st seeded Panthers in the Atlantic Division for the Eastern Conference Finals of the NHL playoffs. The Rangers have looked great in their games this season as they won the Presidents' Trophy for finishing the regular season with the most points in the entire NHL, and that has continued into the playoffs with 2 great series so far. They swept the Capitals in Round 1 and the curse of the Presidents' Trophy has not held them back yet as they disposed of the Hurricanes in 6 games in Round 2. They were in a similar situation in those first 2 home games against the Hurricanes as the Rangers were a slight underdog at home in both of those games and went on to win both too. They have been one of the best teams in the NHL all year, both in the playoffs and the regular season, so it is disrespectful to have them open up this series on home ice as an underdog once again. The Panthers have also looked great in these playoff games, but they needed 6 games to get past the Bruins in their last series and that was a really physical series for them too. They aren't going to have the same intensity in this 1st game of the series on the road, and they did drop the 1st game of their series against the Bruins too. The Rangers have all the value with them as an underdog in this game and they are going to bring their best effort to open this series with a win on home ice. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game.
Panthers Rangers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, May 22, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Rangers 3 Panthers 2.
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NHL Betting Trends
Florida Panthers: 53-49 (-13.2 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent. 5-6 (-4.4 units) on the moneyline off a road win against a division rival. 3-5 (-4 units) on the moneyline in the 1st game of a playoff series. 31-22 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 11-5 UNDER revenging a close loss vs opponent of 1 goal or less. 13-7 UNDER after allowing 2 goals or less in 5 straight games.
New York Rangers: 29-15 (+12.2 units) on the moneyline off a win by 2 goals or more over a division rival. 49-31 (+8.7 units) on the moneyline off a road win. 38-24 (+7.2 units) on the moneyline after playing a game where 8 or more total goals were scored. 25-17 UNDER as a # 1 seed in the playoffs. 23-15 UNDER after allowing 3 goals or more 3 straight games.
Key Injuries
Florida Panthers: None.
New York Rangers: F. Chytil (C) day-to-day - Illness. B. Wheeler (RW) out for season - Lower Body.
Notable Quotes
“In my career, the number of times that something got messed up at the hotel … it’s like a guaranteed win. I said, ‘If this holds true, I guarantee we’re winning today.’" - Paul Maurice on the fire alarm going off at the hotel before beating the Bruins in game 6 of that series on Friday, winning that series 4-2.
“We talk about being a resilient group and a competitive group and I think we showed that tonight.” - Chris Kreider after their win against the Hurricanes in game 6 of that series on Thursday, winning that series 4-2.
Starting Lineups
Florida Panthers
LW Tarasenko, Vladimir
C Barkov, Aleksander
RW Reinhart, Sam
LD Forsling, Gustav
RD Ekblad, Aaron
G Bobrovsky, Sergei
New York Rangers
LW Panarin, Artemi
C Trocheck, Vincent
RW Lafrenière, Alexis
LD Lindgren, Ryan
RD Fox, Adam
G Shesterkin, Igor
Statistical Leaders
Florida Panthers
Points: S. Reinhart (94)
Goals: S. Reinhart (57)
Assists: M. Tkachuk (62)
GAA: A.Stolarz (2.03)
New York Rangers
Points: A. Panarin (120)
Goals: A. Panarin (49)
Assists: A. Panarin (71)
GAA: I. Shesterkin (2.58)
Coaches:
Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd season)
New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette (1st season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
