New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes will face each other in Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference semi-finals. The home side still searches for a victory in this series, and they want to get back into the tie. The visitors defended the home-ice advantage and will search for a break in the upcoming two matches.
New York couldn’t capitalize on Carolina’s trouble with the first-choice goalie in the opening two encounters. The hosts need to bounce back and be more successful on the home ice to stay in the race for the conference finals ticket. On the other hand, Carolina goes to this game with a 2-0 lead in the series. The away side is motivated to stun their rivals on the road and get very close to the next stage.
New York Rangers – Can they get back into the tie?
The Rangers are not happy with their start in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, as they are 2-0 down after visiting Raleigh. Although they kept the Hurricanes to just two goals per match, they managed to find the back of the net only once. New York conceded a goal in the second and the third period in the previous game, and they will have a challenging task in front of their fans. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t forget that they managed to return to the last series after being 3-1 down against the Penguins. However, the Rangers need to improve their offensive work since they had only 21 shots in the previous encounter.
Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox have contributed the most to the Rangers’ offense, combining for 21 points in the playoffs. Zibanejad has also been the team’s top assistant with eight. Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, and Andrew Copp have chipped in with seven pts each, while Ryan Strome has produced six. On the other hand, Igor Shesterkin has made nine appearances in the post-season, having a .914 save percentage and conceding 3.17 goals per match.
Expected Line-Up: Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad
with best odds
Carolina Hurricanes – Will they continue winning?
Although the Hurricanes haven’t been very productive in the first two games, their disciplined defense led them to a 2-0 advantage. They managed to keep a clean sheet in Game 2, and although Frederik Andersen is still out, Carolina conceded just once in this series. On the other hand, they fired only 22 shots to the opponent’s goal, but that was enough for a 2-0 win on Friday evening. It was the Canes’ third straight victory, but it will be interesting to see their performance on the road. In the previous series against the Bruins, they suffered all three defeats away from home.
Teuvo Teravainen tops the team’s offensive charts with nine points in total, and he’s the Canes’ best assistant with seven. Sebastian Aho has a team-high four goals and eight points, while Jaccob Slavin and Tony DeAngelo have also produced eight pts each. Vincent Trocheck has contributed to Carolina’s offense with seven pts, while Max Domi has chipped in with six. Regarding the goaltending, Antti Raanta has already made eight appearances in the playoffs, having a very good .939 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Antti Raanta, Tony DeAngelo, Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen
Expert Pick #1 – Rangers to win @+100
Despite being 2-0 down in this series, I stick to the Rangers, believing they can book the first win in Game 3. Carolina has not been very successful on the road in the post-season, and the Rangers could capitalize on that. I’ll back New York as a slight home dog at the plus money odds as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 5.5 @+110
Although we saw a combined five goals in the first two matches, I expect more offensive action in this one. Nevertheless, both teams have been involved in many efficient games lately, and I’ll back the Over as my second bet since the margin is still 5.5.
Expert Pick #3 – Rangers Over 2.5 @-120
I expect New York to be more clinical in front of the opponent’s goal in this game, and they should score at least three goals. Frederik Andersen still misses out, and the Rangers should finally take advantage of that. Therefore, it is going to be my third pick for this matchup.
