New York Rangers will host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the NHL playoffs on Sunday evening. The home side wants to capitalize on the excellent momentum and book its place in the conference semi-finals. The visitors search for the way back to the winning track after two straight defeats.
New York got back the home-ice advantage and grabbed the chance to play for the conference semi-finals ticket in front of its crowd. The hosts want to pick up where they left off and beat their rivals again. On the other hand, Pittsburgh missed two opportunities to end this series and advance to the next round. They will have a much tougher task in Game 7 to secure a positive result.
New York Rangers – Can they continue the winning streak?
The Rangers were 3-1 down in this series, but they are back after two straight wins. They capitalized on the rival’s defensive issues to secure two 5-3 victories. New York managed to come from behind in the latest game on the road to beat their opponents and return the series back home. They were 2-0 down after the first period but turned around the result in the second one. These two teams entered the final third level, but the Rangers scored twice to secure the victory. The Rangers had four shots more than their rivals but also won nine faceoffs less.
Adam Fox has been the most productive player in the Rangers’ offense, with a team-high six assists and nine points. Mika Zibanejad has chipped in with eight points, while Chris Kreider is the team’s best scorer with four goals. Artemi Panarin has contributed to New York’s offense with six pts, while Ryan Strome, Andrew Copp, and Frank Vatrano have five points each. On the goal, Igor Shesterkin has been New York’s first choice goalie with six apps, having a .906 save percentage and allowing 3.82 goals per game.
Expected Line-Up: Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad
with best odds
Pittsburgh Penguins – Are they capable of bouncing back?
The Penguins wasted two chances to advance to the next stage, and they now have to search for a win on the road. They lost 5-3 in the latest game on the home ice despite having an early 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh had defensive issues that they couldn’t resolve, and it resulted in two straight losses in this series. Although they won nine faceoffs more than the Rangers in Game 6, they also had four shots less. Pittsburgh needs to tighten its backline to increase its chances of celebrating on the road.
Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel top the Penguins’ offensive charts with nine points each. Guentzel is the team’s best scorer with seven goals, while Crosby has a team-high seven assists. Bryan Rust has contributed to Pittsburgh’s offense with seven pts, while Evgeni Malkin and Mike Matheson have six apiece. Kris Letang and Jeff Carter have chipped in with four pts each to the Penguins’ offense. On the other hand, Louis Domingue continues to be the Penguins’ first-choice goalie in the playoffs. He concedes 3.65 goals per match and has a .898 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Louis Domingue, Kris Letang, John Marino, Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust
Expert Pick #1 – Over 6 @-125
All six games in this series went over a 6 margin, and I anticipate another efficient encounter. Pittsburgh will still have injury troubles in defense, and we should see more than six goals in Game 7. Give me the Over as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Rangers to win @-140
The Rangers are in a better momentum, and they should capitalize on it to beat the Penguins for the third time in a row. I believe New York is set for a big comeback after being 3-1 down in this series, and I’ll back them as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Rangers to win & Both to Score @+120
Neither team should keep the clean sheet in this encounter, and combined with the Rangers’ victory, we can get the plus money odds. I’ll take this pick as my second alternative for this matchup, and it could bring us nice profits.
