by Rod Pearson
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, May 24, 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: 7-3-0 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 New York Rangers in their last game, winning that one on the road 3-0. Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Bennett each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe, and Gustav Forsling each led the team in assists with 1 while Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett each led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he recorded the shutout as he allowed 0 goals on 23 shots with 23 saves and a 1.000 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 loss against the Florida Panthers in their last game, losing that one at home 3-0. No one on the team scored a goal or recorded an assist for them in that game. Alexis Lafrenière, Artemi Panarin, and Vincent Trocheck each led the team in shots on net in that game with 3. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 26 shots with 24 saves and a .923 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 2 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 Panthers have a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 of this series on the road. The Rangers entered game 1 of this series as an underdog on home ice and they lost the game 3-0, but they have still looked really good on home ice this season and there is going to be a response from this team. The Rangers have been really good this season after losing on home ice, and they have the extra motivation now since this is the 1st time in the playoffs this year that the Rangers have been behind in a series. The Panthers looked great in that 3-0 win and they have been really good in their road games all season, but they still won what was a very tight game with both defenses playing great. The Rangers are going to bounce back on home ice as they will bring their best effort to avoid going back to Florida down 2-0 in the series, and the Panthers don't need to press as hard to win this game either since they have already done their job in these first 2 games by flipping the home advantage in the series to their side. Expect the Rangers to respond with their best effort and bounce back on home ice to even up this series. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game.
Panthers Rangers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Friday, May 24, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Rangers 3 Panthers 2.
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NHL Betting Trends
Florida Panthers: 11-10 (-4.1 units) on the moneyline off a road win by 2 goals or more. 17-13 (-2.7 units) on the moneyline off a road win. 12-5 UNDER when leading in a playoff series. 14-7 UNDER after allowing 2 goals or less in 5 straight games. 23-15 UNDER after a 2 game unbeaten streak.
New York Rangers: 22-6 (+14.3 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent. 11-1 (+10 units) on the moneyline off a home loss. 16-4 (+11 units) on the moneyline after playing a game where 4 or fewer total goals were scored. 6-1 UNDER in the conference finals. 27-18 UNDER off a home loss. 25-16 UNDER after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game.
Key Injuries
Florida Panthers: None.
New York Rangers: B. Wheeler (RW) out for season - Lower Body.
Notable Quotes
“I think you have to be a veteran goalie to do what he did tonight. Sit for a while, make huge saves, and sense the last 10 minutes of the game that's where he has to be Sergei." - Paul Maurice after his team’s win against the Rangers in game 1 of this series on Wednesday.
“We can play better, that wasn't the best version of ourselves. We'll look to see what they did, see what we can do better in all areas of the game. There's more for us to give, more for us to do out there.” - Peter Laviolette after his team’s loss against the Panthers in game 1 of this series on Wednesday.
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.
