In an earlier preview, we half-jokingly wrote that this series was looking like one where a home team would need to “steal a game.” Well, here we are. Four contests in and home crowds have left the arena unhappy every time. The action travels back to Newark, New Jersey for the always crucial Game 5 in a series tied 2-2.

Even the NHL odds aren’t as certain as usual. New York is -102 and Jersey -119. The total is 5.5

Rangers vs. Devils NHL Playoffs Betting Odds

Sooner or later a home side is going to win a game, no? Granted, both the Rangers and Devils sported superior away records during the regular season, but something has to give.

Four tilts into this regional battle there are some fun stats to dig up that might influence betters. Apart from the obvious success of the visiting clubs, both games in New Jersey saw the Over hit whereas those in Manhattan were good for the Under. Chris Kreider has had at least one point in all four contests and has already amassed five goals in the series.

Lastly, it was more than a change of scenery that helped the Devils in games 3 and 4. Akira Schmid is now tending the Devils’ net in replacement of Vitek Vanecek who underperformed in the first two tilts.

New York Rangers

The Rangers headed to Madison Square Garden with glorious momentum on their side after Game 2. Perhaps it was too good to be true. Pundits predicted a Rangers series win and the first two road victories almost felt too easy. Game 3 was a reality check. The Devils would not go down without a fight.

New York should have taken notes on Saturday. If anything, they looked more sluggish on Monday. Both clubs only mustered 23 shots on goal. There weren’t that many quality chances, but the Devils made the most of theirs. Jack Hughes scored his third of the series to open to tally, whereas Jonas Siegenthaler netter the game winner 8:22 into the third period before a Ondrej Palat empty netter sealed New York’s fate. Make the final 3-1. The only Rangers goal came early in the final frame to tie the score thanks to Vincent Trocheck’s first of the playoffs. But after that marker, the hosts created about as few scoring opportunities as one could imagine despite the pressing circumstances. There are no two ways about it; the Rangers squandered a beautiful chance to take control of the series.

New Jersey Devils

Game 4 was the more emphatic message that New Jersey has a squad capable of hanging with anyone and adapting its style to any challenge. Lest it is forgotten that the Devils finished the regular season as the fourth-highest-scoring club in the NHL with 3.52 goals a game. Through four bouts with the Rangers, they’ve only netted a total of seven. That’s the worst average of all 16 playoff teams, yet here they are looking decent with a 2-2 series and two of the potential three remaining games on home ice.

One supposes it works as the perfect summation of who the 2022-2023 New Jersey Devils are. No one expected them to be as successful as they have, and they keep pulling rabbits out of their hat. Now if the next trick could be a home victory in Game 5 then things will look terrific. Akira Schmid has been excellent in goal, even though his workload was relatively light in the last match. The secret to success is limiting the damage players like Chris Kreider, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Mika Zibanejad can cause. If they can do that, half the job is done.

Game 5 Prediction: Who Will Win Rangers vs. Devils?

RANGERS

Away

2

DEVILS

Home

3

Score
Predictions

Matchup