NHL Playoffs Series Odds: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The New York Rangers couldn’t be happier getting a shot at the Stanley Cup in this play-in round. How about the Carolina Hurricanes? Well, not so much. The ‘Canes have struggled against the Rangers for a long time and have been very vocal about not getting a fair shake with this matchup. They were 0-4 against the Rangers this year, but you’ll find them favoured to win this best-of-five series against the Rangers on the NHL odds board.
New York Rangers Odds
The Rangers were knocking on the door of a Wild Card spot when COVID-19 shut down the NHL regular season, just two points out of a trip to the dance. Now, New York squares off against a Carolina team that it has beaten 31 times in the last 37 meetings between the two clubs. The Rangers outscored the Hurricanes 17-9 this year.
Miika Zibanejad had a career year with 41 goals and 75 points in only 57 games, while newcomer Artemi Panarin tied for third overall in league scoring with 95 points. New York will have to make a decision in goal for this series. Henrik Lundqvist has owned the ‘Canes in his career, but rookie Igor Shesterkin stole the crease this year before he was injured in a car accident. He’s expected to be healthy when play resumes. The NHL odds board opened the Rangers at +5000 to win the Stanley Cup. That number now sits at +4000.
Carolina Hurricanes Odds
The Hurricanes were one of only two NHL teams to vote against this revamped playoff format and it certainly doesn’t seem like they’re overly keen on this matchup with the Blueshirts. The ‘Canes gave up at least three goals in all four of their games against New York this season. Carolina’s NHL Stanley Cup odds are set at +3300.
“I think the bigger issue felt like, and especially our guys, was like ‘what was the 68 games we played for?'” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’amour said on the “ESPN on Ice” podcast. “What did we grind for? The bulk of the season was completed, and they just threw that out, and I think that’s how (the Hurricanes) felt,” he added. “I think that’s justifiable in a way.”