New York Rangers and Boston Bruins will face each other in Tuesday’s action of the NHL 2021-22. The home side wants to continue with good displays and chase the division pole position. The visitors are in the playoffs zone, and they look forward to staying there.
New York got back on the winning track, remaining in the race for the top spot in their division. The hosts have been excellent on the home ice, and they want to keep that run going. On the other hand, Boston’s form hasn’t been too consistent lately. Nevertheless, the away side doesn’t have trouble winning on the road, and they will search for a positive result.
New York Rangers – Can they continue winning at home?
The Rangers have enjoyed a pretty good campaign so far, as they sit in 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division. They are at a 30-13-4 record, being only four points behind the top-placed Penguins, but New York has two games in hand. After losing twice in a row, the Rangers improved their form and tied two victories. Both came on the home ice, and in the latest one, New York was better than the Panthers in a 5-2 win. Chris Kreider led them to the victory with a brace and an assist, while Artemi Panarin scored one goal and made a pair of assists.
At the same time, Panarin is the Rangers’ most productive player this season with 52 points. Chris Kreider tops the team’s scoring charts with 33 goals, while Adam Fox is the best assistant with 40. Both of them have contributed with 47 points each, while Mika Zibanejad has produced a total of 49 points. On the other hand, Igor Shesterkin has been New York’s first-choice goalie with 29 appearances, allowing only 2.10 goals per contest. He’s been one of the NHL’s top goaltenders this season, featuring a .937 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Igor Shesterkin, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad
with best odds
Boston Bruins – Will they provide an upset?
The Bruins are also on the right track to the post-season, sitting in 4th place in the Atlantic Division. They are at a 27-16-3 record, being seven points ahead of the Red Wings and having four games in hand. Boston will unlikely challenge a better position, but they should be content with progressing to the playoffs. However, the visitors need to stabilize their form since they lost three times on the previous five occasions. Nevertheless, they go to this one after beating the Senators 2-0 on the road.
Brad Marchand has led the Bruins’ offense with 49 points, including a team-high 28 assists. David Pastrnak is Boston’s top scorer with 24 goals, while he produced a total of 45 points. Patrice Bergeron and Taylor Hall managed to cross the 30-point mark, while two other skaters chipped in with 20+ points. On the goal, Linus Ullmark has made the most appearances – 25 – while having a .910 save percentage. With him between the pipes, the Bruins have allowed 2.78 goals per contest on average.
Expected Line-Up: Linus Ullmark, Derek Forbort, Charlie McAvoy, Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak
Expert Pick #1 – Rangers to win (Inc. OT and Pen.) @-150
Although we don’t see the Bruins as underdogs too often, I will stick to the Rangers in this matchup. Boston will miss Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, two of the three most productive players. On the other hand, New York is excellent on the home ice, and I’ll back them as the first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 5.5 @+100
The Rangers’ defense has been pretty disciplined so far, while the away side will miss some sharpness in the final third. Although the margin is pretty low, I cannot resist the plus money odds, and the Under will be my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Bruins Under 2.5 @-105
Consequently, I don’t expect too much from the Bruins in the offense. The visitors scored more than two goals just once in the previous six matches, and the Rangers could hold them under the margin again. Therefore, it’s going to be my third pick.
