The Penguins and Rangers are set to kick off a two-game set in New York on Tuesday.  Both teams are looking to get back in the win column after Saturday losses that saw Pittsburgh fall 7-5 to Boston and the Rangers drop a 3-2 shootout decision to Buffalo.

The Rangers are -126 favourites to win on the NHL odds with a total of 6.0.

Penguins vs. Rangers Betting Analysis

New York has struggled against the Pens this season.  Pittsburgh has won five of six meetings between these teams and outscored the Rangers by a combined 22-15.

The Penguins haven’t been strong on the road this year, posting an 8-9-1 record outside of PPG Paints Arena.  They’re 17-21 against the spread and have covered in seven of 18 road games.  The total has gone Under in nine of the Pens’ last 12 games and four of their last five on the road.

This season hasn’t gone exactly the way New York would like, but with a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games, they’re clearly making a late playoff push.  They’re 24-13 ATS and have covered in 11 of 18 home games.  The Rangers have had no issues finding the back of the net.  They’ve hit the Over in four of their last five home games and they’re the only current non-playoff team to have a positive goal differential (+18).

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh has a comfortable six-point lead over Boston for third place in the East Division, so there shouldn’t be any desperation from this team despite their injury issues.  Forwards Evgeni Malkin (lower-body), Kasperi Kapanen (lower-body), Brandon Tanev (upper-body) and Teddy Blueger (upper-body) are all out indefinitely.  Defenceman Mark Friedman is also out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.  On the positive side, it looks like No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry will be good to go, after he missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury.

Despite the injury issues, Sidney Crosby has been having one of his best seasons in years.  Crosby is ninth in NHL scoring with 43 points (15G, 28A) in 37 games.  Jake Guentzel has also been having a big year.  He leads the Pens with 16 goals and is playing at a point-per-game pace with 38 points.  Pittsburgh has 17 goals over their last four games and have five wins in their last six outings.  Regardless of who is injured, if Crosby is on top of his game, this is a dangerous Pens team.

New York Rangers

New York has been playing better lately, but they still have some work to do.  They’re five points back of the Bruins for the final playoff spot in the East Division and need to start stringing together some wins.  They have the third-most goals in the East and they average 3.14 goals per game.  Mika Zibanejad has been the biggest reason for the offensive resurgence.  After putting up six points in his first 19 games this season, Zibanejad has 22 points in his last 18 games, including two different six-point performances against Philadelphia.

The Rangers also look like they’ve definitively found the heir to King Henrik Lundqvist‘s throne.  Igor Shesterkin is establishing himself as a true No. 1 goalie.  He has posted a 9-8-2 record this year with a 2.27 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.  Shesterkin has the sixth-best save percentage in the NHL among goalies with at least six games played.  If the Rangers keep scoring and Shesterkin shuts the door, New York could be primed to go on a late season run.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Penguins vs. Rangers?

• Regular Season

Penguins Team Leaders

PIT

Points	Sidney Crosby 49
+ / -	Kris Letang 14
Shots	Sidney Crosby 129
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 28
Wins	Tristan Jarry 17
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.4

NYR

Points	Artemi Panarin 46
+ / -	Adam Fox 18
Shots	Mika Zibanejad 123
Penalty Mins	Brendan Smith 46
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 12
GAA	Igor Shesterkin 2.25

• Regular Season

Rangers Team Leaders

PIT

Points	Sidney Crosby 49
+ / -	Kris Letang 14
Shots	Sidney Crosby 129
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 28
Wins	Tristan Jarry 17
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.4

NYR

Points	Artemi Panarin 46
+ / -	Adam Fox 18
Shots	Mika Zibanejad 123
Penalty Mins	Brendan Smith 46
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 12
GAA	Igor Shesterkin 2.25

Injuries

Pittsburgh

Frederick Gaudreau (C)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 21

John Marino (D)

Ques Thurs Upper Body - 07 / 04 / 21

Brandon Tanev (LW)

Late May Upper Body - 05 / 04 / 21

Tristan Jarry (G)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 29 / 03 / 21

Mark Jankowski (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 27 / 03 / 21

Kasperi Kapanen (RW)

Late April Lower Body - 25 / 03 / 21

Brandon Tanev (LW)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 21

Teddy Blueger (C)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 17 / 03 / 21

Evgeni Malkin (C)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 17 / 03 / 21

John Marino (D)

Ques Thurs Upper Body - 11 / 03 / 21

NY Rangers

Brett Howden (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 22 / 03 / 21

Jack Johnson (D)

out for season Hernia - 20 / 03 / 21

Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 17 / 03 / 21

Igor Shesterkin (G)

Early April Groin - 04 / 03 / 21

Anthony Bitetto (D)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 01 / 03 / 21

K'Andre Miller (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 24 / 02 / 21

Artemi Panarin (LW)

Ques Sat Personal - 22 / 02 / 21

Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 20 / 02 / 21

Jacob Trouba (D)

Late March Thumb - 17 / 02 / 21

K'Andre Miller (D)

Prob Sat Upper Body - 15 / 02 / 21

Injuries

Pittsburgh

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Frederick Gaudreau (C)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 21	2-1	3-0	+ -
Gaudreau is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
John Marino (D)	Ques Thurs	Upper Body - 07 / 04 / 21	0-0	0-0	+ -
Marino exited the last game with an upper-body injury, and it is unknown if he will be active for Thursday's match versus the Rangers.
Brandon Tanev (LW)	Late May	Upper Body - 05 / 04 / 21	0-1	1-0	+ -
Tanev has been added to the long-term injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and he is not expected to be available until the end of May.
Tristan Jarry (G)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 29 / 03 / 21	2-2	2-2	+ -
Jarry has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury, but it is likely that he will be active Tuesday versus the Rangers.
Mark Jankowski (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 27 / 03 / 21	3-2	2-3	+ -
Jankowski has been posted to the COVID-19 Protocol list, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Kasperi Kapanen (RW)	Late April	Lower Body - 25 / 03 / 21	4-2	3-3	+ -
Kapanen has been ticketed for the injured reserve list with a lower-body injury, and he is not projected to return until the latter part of April.
Brandon Tanev (LW)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 21	5-4	3-6	+ -
Tanev has been placed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will return to action.
Teddy Blueger (C)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 17 / 03 / 21	5-5	3-7	+ -
Blueger has wound up on the injured reserve list due with an upper-body injury, and it is unclear how long he will be idle.
Evgeni Malkin (C)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 17 / 03 / 21	5-5	3-7	+ -
Malkin has been placed on the injured reserve list with a lower-body injury, and it is unclear how long he will be debilitated.
John Marino (D)	Ques Thurs	Upper Body - 11 / 03 / 21	9-5	4-9-1	+ -
Marino has been activated from the injured reserve list after recovering from an upper-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will dress for Thursday's clash with the Devils.

NY Rangers

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Brett Howden (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 22 / 03 / 21	5-3	4-4	+ -
Howden will spend an undetermined length of time on the league's COVID protocol list.
Jack Johnson (D)	out for season	Hernia - 20 / 03 / 21	6-3	4-5	+ -
Johnson will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia.
Phillip Di Giuseppe (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 17 / 03 / 21	8-3	6-5	+ -
Di Giuseppe has been added to the COVID-19 Protocol list, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Igor Shesterkin (G)	Early April	Groin - 04 / 03 / 21	11-7	8-8-2	+ -
Shesterkin has been placed on the injured reserve list with a groin injury, and he is not expected to return to the ice until the beginning of April.
Anthony Bitetto (D)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 01 / 03 / 21	11-8	8-9-2	+ -
Bitetto has missed the previous two games with a lower-body ailment, and it has yet to be established if he will lace up against the Devils on Saturday.
K'Andre Miller (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 24 / 02 / 21	14-8	10-10-2	+ -
Miller has been added to the COVID-19 Protocol list, and will be out of commission for an undetermined length of time.
Artemi Panarin (LW)	Ques Sat	Personal - 22 / 02 / 21	14-8	10-10-2	+ -
Panarin has returned to the team after tending to a personal matter, and it is unclear if he will face the Bruins on Saturday.
Kaapo Kakko (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 20 / 02 / 21	15-8	10-11-2	+ -
Kakko has been placed on the COVID-19 Protocol list, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Jacob Trouba (D)	Late March	Thumb - 17 / 02 / 21	15-9	11-11-2	+ -
Trouba has been designated for the injured reserve list due to a thumb injury, and he is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.
K'Andre Miller (D)	Prob Sat	Upper Body - 15 / 02 / 21	16-9	11-12-2	+ -
Miller missed the last two games due to an upper-body injury, but he is likely to play against the Capitals on Saturday.