Penguins vs Rangers Odds, Picks & Prediction (March 16)

March 12, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) and defenseman Kris Letang (right) celebrate a game-winning goal by Letang in overtime to defeat the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

• Rangers are a home favorite of -140 on the Penguins vs. Rangers odds as of Thursday (March 16) at 19:00 ET
• New York is eight points ahead of Metro Division rivals in the NHL standings
• Read on for the full Penguins vs Rangers odds and best bets – including a same-game combo

On Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the first wild card in the East, visit the Big Apple for a date with the Rangers. The Pens are eight points behind their division rivals, so they’re probably too far behind to realistically contend for third place in the Metro Division. They suffered a 6-4 loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday while the Rangers defeated the Capitals 5-3.

In the campaign, Pittsburgh is 34-23-10 for 78 points while Rangers are 38-19-10 for 86 points.

The Pens have won both meetings this season (one in overtime) 3-2 after the Broadway Blueshirts closed a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Pittsburgh last postseason. This is the second of three meetings in a four-game period scheduled for both clubs. Read on for the Penguins vs. Rangers analysis.

Penguins vs Rangers Odds

The Rangers are fifth pick at the Stanley Cup odds at +1200 while the Penguins are at +3200. New York is the -140 favorite in this competition who has 6.5 goals overall.

The puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, ESPN+ will broadcast the game in the US and Rogers Sportsnet will show it in Canada.

Odds as of March 15th at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Pittsburgh Penguins betting analysis

The Pittsburgh Penguins have long been in contention for one of the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As late as February 24, they were looking inside from the outside. However, Sidney Crosby and company have won 7-2-1 in their last ten competitions to currently hold the top wild card spot. They have the best record in the NHL over that span, scoring 3.90 goals per competition.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin & Kris Letang now have 91 points in the Penguins’ last 31 games.

kris letang has only played in 19 of them.

91 points in 31 games.

— matt (@yinzzzerr) March 15, 2023

The Pens have won both meetings with their Metro Division rivals this season, 3-2, and this is the first of two straight games at Madison Square Garden. For the campaign, they sit right in the middle of several key categories like goals and goals against and special teams.

Pittsburgh has lost 21 of its last 26 competitions as an underdog. New York has defeated four of the last five teams at home who have a losing record away (Pens are 15-13-5).

New York Rangers betting analysis

The New York Rangers are pretty entrenched as the third-ranked team in Metro, and something crazy would have to happen for that to change. They have an eight-point lead over the Pens and are eight points behind second-placed New Jersey. New York beat Washington 5-3 on Tuesday, but they’re a perfectly average 5-5-2 in their last 12 games.

You’re probably wondering what’s going on here.

ESPN and Disney+ are showing Rangers vs. Capitals in real time #Big CityGreen animation style.

🎥 @NHL pic.twitter.com/sRSXvjqMU0

— The Athlete (@TheAthletic) March 14, 2023

For the season, Rangers rank 14th in goals/game but defend solidly and concede the ninth fewest goals per game in the NHL. They are strong in PP, eighth place but 16th on penalties.

New York has won its last five games after a competition by scoring five goals or more.

Penguins vs. Rangers Latest Results

These two teams are incredibly even, having split their last six regular-season encounters and last year’s playoff encounter, in which New York won in seven games. Both fights that year went under 6.5 goals, with Pittsburgh winning both 3-2. Before that, however, seven or more goals were scored in seven duels in a row.

Penguins vs Rangers Pick & Prediction

Pittsburgh as a +120 underdog is a terribly tempting game, especially since they’ve beaten the Broadway Blueshirts both times this year. However, our model sees this Penguins vs. Rangers game as 3.61-3.34 for the home team.

Penguins vs. Rangers Parlay Picks in the same game

The over has scored in six of Rangers’ last seven games at MSG. In a rather random coincidence, the over in the Penguins’ last 16 Thursday games is 12-3-1. The over is also 4-1 in their last five Rangers, having scored five or more goals in their previous game. It’s very appealing to pick the hotter club that has been better than underdogs this season, even head-to-head.

Choice: Pittsburgh Penguins Moneyline (+120), Over 6.5 Goals (-110)

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