Penguins vs Rangers | Betting Preview, Odds, Pick

NHL Preview – Pittsburgh Penguins ( 37-22-4) @ New York Rangers (29-27-7)
7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 4, 2010
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
On: Versus Network

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• The New York Rangers rank 19th on offense, and average 2.6 goals per game. The Rangers are 17.9% on the power play and have 42 power play goals.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 5th on offense, and average 3.0 goals per game. The Penguins are 16.7% on the power play and have 42 power play goals.
• The Rangers average 3.0 goals per game at home, and give up 2.8 goals against on defense.
• The Penguins average 2.7 goals per game on the road, and give up 3.0 goals against on defense.

The Pittsburgh Penguins head to New York to play the Rangers in the marquee matchup of the NHL Thursday night schedule. New York will be looking to improve upon their three game pre-Olympic winning streak and will also be looking to let the hockey world know that they are better than their record indicates.

Pittsburgh Penguins: -135

Puck Line: - 1 ½

The Pittsburgh Penguins are as advertised. They are strong in goal, on defense and at forward. They have two of the most dominant young players in the game – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Wednesday trade deadline brought them another young stud, Alex Ponikarovsky, a 6 foot four winger that should solidify the Penguins top three lines. The Penguins are solid, top to bottom and will continue to be a force going forward.

The Penguins own the sixth best record in the NHL and have gone 5-2-3 in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh is coming off of a big win at home against the “Millerless” Buffalo Sabres and will be looking to build on that winning streak on Thursday night. It might not be as easy as it sounds however. Despite a 7-1 record in their last 8 meetings against the Rangers, the Penguins are just 3-9 in their last 12 meetings in New York. With the talent on this team, the stats can be thrown out the window. Count on a win.

New York Rangers: +115

Pick Line: + 1 ½

The New York Rangers have been one of the true disappointments in the NHL this season. The acquisition of Marion Gaborik was supposed to take this team over the top and make them a Cup contender. Instead the Rangers find themselves in ninth place in the Eastern Conference on the heels of a 5-5 record in their last 10 games. They have won their last three games however and are coming off an impressive 4-1 road win at the hands of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

New York was curiously silent on trade deadline day. Many thought that the Rangers would try to add another scorer and someone who could play along side Marion Gaborik. It didn’t happen, so the Rangers will have to play out the stretch with the mediocre mix of talent on their roster. Note: Marion Gaborik is questionable for Thursday’s game and if he can’t go, it could be an even longer night than it might have already been for the Broadway Blue Shirts.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -135

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Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends:

• Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games on the road
• Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing NY Rangers
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games when playing NY Rangers

New York Rangers Betting Trends:

• NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Rangers last 8 games at home
• NY Rangers are 8-17 SU in their last 25 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh