New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 3 Prediction, NHL Odds
Who will be in net for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff series at home on Saturday vs. the New York Rangers? New York opened as a slight favourite on the NHL odds.
Rangers vs. Penguins Playoff Betting Odds
As this Eastern Conference series shifts to Pittsburgh, the Rangers were 1-1 there in the regular season: Losing 1-0 on Feb. 26 and winning 3-2 on March 29.
With the series tied 1-1, New York is -141 on the series line (was +141 entering Game 2) with Pittsburgh +115 (was -159). On the lead after Game 4 special, a draw is -115 with the Penguins +242 and Rangers +282. The favoured exact series result is Rangers in seven at +321, followed by Rangers in six at +351 and Penguins in six at +442. That the series finishes in six games is +151, same price at seven. In five is +264.
New York is 1-5 in its past six in Pittsburgh.
New York Rangers
The Rangers should have won Game 1 and never trailed in the 5-2 Game 2 victory on Thursday. New York broke it open with third-period goals from Artemi Panarin and Frank Vatrano, their first of this series. Andrew Copp (second of series), Ryan Strome (first) and Chris Kreider (second) also scored. Kreider now has 54 total goals including playoffs this year, tied for third-most in Rangers history. It was his seventh career game-winning playoff goal, and his 42 career playoff points are tied with Jean Ratelle for 14th place in franchise history.
Igor Shesterkin “only” had to make 39 saves in Game 2 after 79 in Game 2. He is the first goaltender since shots on goal began being officially tracked in 1955-56 to record 100-plus saves through his team’s first two games of a postseason. Defenceman Ryan Lindgren and forward Barclay Goodrow missed Game 2 due to injury. Goodrow (33 regular-season points) is considered week-to-week. The Rangers are 5-1 in their past six road games.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pens haven’t had No. 1 goaltender Tristan Jarry yet in this series due to injury, and he only recently began skating so we can safely assume Jarry won’t play in Game 3. Backup Casey DeSmith left Game 1 in double overtime and missed Game 2. We have no clue if he will be ready Saturday. It could be journeyman Louis Domingue again, and that Pittsburgh is a road dog tells us oddsmakers think it will be. In his first career start in Game 2, Domingue allowed five goals on 40 shots in the 5-2 loss after being the Game 1 hero.
Pittsburgh never led in Game 1. Jake Guentzel (third goal of series) and Sidney Crosby (first) had the goals. It was Guentzel’s 29th career postseason goal, tying Boston’s Brad Marchand for the third-most in the league since 2017. Forwards Rickard Rakell and Jason Zucker and defenceman Brian Dumoulin were out injured. They are being called day-to-day. The Penguins are 13-5 in their past 18 as home dogs. We are picking as if DeSmith will play.
NYR
PIT