by Rod Pearson
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Sunday, May 26, 2024
Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
Where to Watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Rangers +130, Panthers -155; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Rangers +130, Panthers -155; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Rangers +130, Panthers -155; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
New York Rangers: 55-23-4 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)
Florida Panthers: 52-24-6 (1st place, Atlantic Division)
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Recent Form
New York Rangers: 7-3-0 last 10
Florida Panthers: 6-3-1 last 10
New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Preview and Analysis
The Rangers are entering this game with 114 points, a 55-23-4 record overall, and they were 25-12-4 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Florida Panthers in their last game, winning that one at home 2-1 in overtime. Vincent Trocheck and Barclay Goodrow each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, and Jacob Trouba each led the team in assists with 1 while Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Will Cuylle each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 27 shots with 26 saves and a .963 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.
The Panthers are entering this game with 110 points, a 52-24-6 record overall, and they were 26-13-2 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the New York Rangers in their last game, losing that one on the road 2-1 in OT. Carter Verhaeghe scored 1 goal for them in that game. Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell each led the team in assists with 1 while Ryan Lomberg led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 30 shots with 28 saves and a .933 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.
Rangers vs Panthers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 3 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. This series is all tied up 1-1 after the Rangers won game 2 of this series on their home ice. The Rangers won game 2 at home to even up this series but they still needed overtime to win that game on home ice. They already lost game 1 on home ice and now the Panthers have the home advantage in this series with a chance to put the Rangers on the verge of elimination going back to New York. The Rangers have been a good road team this season with their 25-12-4 road record, but they have still looked a lot better on home ice and they have already shown in the first 2 games on home ice that they are going to struggle against the Panthers. The Panthers are a really balanced team on offense and defense and they have the experience of being in the Stanley Cup Final last season. The Rangers have looked great in the playoffs up to this round but they are still the Presidents' Trophy winner and that curse is starting to settle in for them in this series as they have been outplayed by the Panthers in both games. The Panthers are going to bounce back from that tight OT loss in New York and take a series lead on their home ice. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game.
Rangers Panthers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Sunday, May 26, 2024 (3:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 4 Rangers 2.
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NHL Betting Trends
New York Rangers: 41-21 (+9.8 units) on the moneyline off a win or tie in their previous game. 19-3 (+16.2 units) on the moneyline after playing 2 consecutive home games. 17-4 (+12 units) on the moneyline after playing a game where 4 or fewer total goals were scored. 32-19 UNDER in a road game where the total is 5.5. 7-1 UNDER in the conference finals. 20-10 UNDER after winning their previous game in overtime.
Florida Panthers: 9-10 (-6.6 units) on the moneyline revenging a road loss versus opponent. 54-49 (-12.2 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent. 6-0 UNDER off a close road loss by 1 goal. 15-7 UNDER after allowing 2 goals or less in 5 straight games. 20-11 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive losses.
Key Injuries
New York Rangers: J. Vesey (LW) Ques Sun - Upper Body. B. Wheeler (RW) out for season - Lower Body.
Florida Panthers: None.
Notable Quotes
“When you see someone who does so many other things to help a team be successful, I’m really happy for a guy like that to make a huge impact in the game tonight.” - Peter Laviolette after his team’s win against the Panthers in game 2 of this series on Friday.
"You shouldn’t beat the Presidents' Trophy winner twice in a row, you really shouldn’t. We got that to overtime. I liked it. We just couldn’t get it to go. It was two really good goaltenders at each end. It was exciting” - Paul Maurice after his team’s loss against the Rangers in game 2 of this series on Friday.
Starting Lineups
New York Rangers
LW Panarin, Artemi
C Trocheck, Vincent
RW Lafrenière, Alexis
LD Lindgren, Ryan
RD Fox, Adam
G Shesterkin, Igor
Florida Panthers
LW Tarasenko, Vladimir
C Barkov, Aleksander
RW Reinhart, Sam
LD Forsling, Gustav
RD Ekblad, Aaron
G Bobrovsky, Sergei
Statistical Leaders
New York Rangers
Points: A. Panarin (120)
Goals: A. Panarin (49)
Assists: A. Panarin (71)
GAA: I. Shesterkin (2.58)
Florida Panthers
Points: S. Reinhart (94)
Goals: S. Reinhart (57)
Assists: M. Tkachuk (62)
GAA: A.Stolarz (2.03)
Coaches:
New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette (1st season)
Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd 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.
