The New York Rangers did all they could to disrupt the young Pittsburgh Penguins during the first two games of their NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference semifinal series, but they still find themselves in an 0-2 hole as they host Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in NHL playoff action. BetOnline.com has the New York Rangers –145 odds favorites against the Pittsburgh Penguins +125 with the over/under set at 5 goals.
The Penguins showed a different side in Game 2's 2-0 shutout of the Rangers on Sunday, as they proved they could handle themselves when the game slowed down and needed to be won with physical play. Jordan Staal and Adam Hall potted solo markers for the Penguins, while Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular in goal by stopping all 26 shots he faced. Fleury had to deal with a lot of screening from the New York players, namely superpest Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan. But his defense did a great job of clearing the front of the net, and Hal Gill came to his aid when Avery slashed the young netminder near the end of the game.
The Rangers have had offensive problems all season , but it came back temporary for their first-round win over New Jersey. However, if there was ever a bad time to regress back to their old selves, it would be against one of the top-scoring teams in the league. New York probably played as well as they could defensively against the Penguins on Sunday, but all of that will count for nothing if they cannot give any goal support to goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who made 31 saves in a losing cause.
The Rangers are -145 favorites at home in this contest, and they were second in the East to Pittsburgh during the regular season in terms of home records. If the Rangers are going to make a move against the Penguins, it looks like it will come at home, but they need to light the lamp more frequently. In what should be a low-scoring game, the Rangers should snatch a much-needed win to make this series interesting. Get your NHL Playoffs Pick in Now!
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers – 7:00 PM ET
Free NHL Playoffs Pick: New York Rangers
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