Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers Prediction, NHL Odds
After looking like they were turning their season around, the Rangers came back with three consecutive losses coming into this weekend. Of their 14 home games this season, they have won just three. While the Canadiens have been great as the visitors, posting a 9-3-2 record.
The NHL Odds have the Rangers as the -140 favourite to win on Saturday night, with the total sitting at an even six goals. Puck Drop from the legendary Madison Square Garden is set for 7:00 PM EST.
Canadiens vs. Rangers NHL Betting Odds
Saturday will be the second of a three-game season series, with the Rangers leading one game to none. New York won the first matchup 4-3 back in October, thanks to a three-goal comeback in the third period. Artemi Panarin had a four-point night (1G, 3A), which really turned his season around.
Looking back on the past few seasons, the Rangers have dominated this head-to-head. They have taken the win in seven of their past 10. The games have been high-scoring, with all of their past eight contests playing the OVER.
Montreal was a top-five scoring team for most of the first quarter of the season, but it has dried up a tad lately, dipping down to 3.17 per game, which is still good for 10th in the league. They have been smashing the OVER a ton this season, posting a 20-7-3 record on the OVER/UNDER. Their struggling defence has gotten them in trouble this season, giving up the fourth-most goals per game to this point. They are hoping a new rookie in net will help improve those numbers.
The Rangers’ three-game skid has seen them score just four goals. The offence has been sparse this season, scoring just 2.56 goals per game, fourth-lowest in the league. Combine that with the league’s sixth-best defensive numbers, and you get a Rangers team that has hit the OVER 11 times, the fewest in the league.
Montreal Canadiens
The day Habs fans have been waiting a year for finally arrived on Thursday, when rookie netminder Jacob Fowler made his awaited NHL debut in Pittsburgh versus the Penguins. The 21-year-old stopped 36 shots, leading the Canadiens to a 4-2 win, snapping a two-game skid.
Secondary scoring helped the Canadiens in this one, for the first time in a while. Newcomer Alex Texier opened the scoring with his first of the season early in the first, before Brendan Gallagher would score his second of the year in the middle frame, putting them up 2-0.
The Habs’ big dogs would not stay quiet, getting the two final goals from Cole Caufield (17th) and Oliver Kapanen (10th) and Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson each had a pair of assists.
With their goalie tandem struggling this season, Montreal will likely stick with the kid on Saturday night. Although the goalie rotation has been unpredictable under Head Coach Martin St. Louis.
New York Rangers
After back-to-back one-goal losses at home, the Rangers hit the road for a one-game road trip in Chicago to face the Blackhawks. The game started with a scoreless tie after the first period, but the Rangers could not hold off the Hawks in the second, giving up a shorthanded goal and another one to Connor Bedard, going into the third down 2-0. The Rags did not show much desperation in the final period, managing just four shots on net in their attempt to tie the game. The loss extended their losing streak to three games, their fourth time hitting that mark this season.
There are some interesting lines regarding the Rangers on the Sports Interaction NHL Futures Board. Netminder Igor Shesterkin is the third favourite for the Vezina Trophy at +700. Currently, he is 12-10-3 with a .912 save percentage. They are outside the playoff picture by just a single point, but are a +120 to make it in. Their 34 points in the standings have them second last in the Metropolitan Division.
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