Penguins vs Rangers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Blueshirts' Top Lines Keep Clicking

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers will be playing their second of what is going to be three meetings this week. The first game was on Sunday, when the Penguins came out with a 3-2 overtime win, but with this game being at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers will have the home ice advantage that they need. 

The Rangers are coming off of a very strong win against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in what was probably their best game in their last 15 overall. Igor Shesterkin has started to find his game as of late, but can he lead the Rangers to a big win on home ice?

Find out my best bet in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Rangers vs. Penguins on Thursday, March 16. 

Penguins vs Rangers best odds

Penguins vs Rangers picks and predictions

The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t been able to find much success at Madison Square Garden, going 1-5 in their last six trips to "The World's Most Famous Arena." The Pens are also coming off of a horrendous loss against the Montreal Canadiens, falling by the score of 6-4 despite outshooting them 43-21. 

The New York Rangers found some offensive chemistry in their last game after head coach Gerard Gallant decided to shuffle up the lines once again. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Vladimir Tarasenko made up the top line, and they had an excellent game, scoring two goals (both by Zibanejad). The big guns showed up, and when they do, this is a scary Rangers team. 

Tristan Jarry is likely to get the start for Pittsburgh, and he is coming off of his worst loss of the season, allowing four goals on seven shots before he got yanked from the Canadiens game. 

The Rangers are starting to look like a more comfortable team as time passes and they get used to playing with their new teammates. The power play looked solid on Tuesday thanks to a goal from Patrick Kane, who now has three goals in his first six games with his new club.

The Penguins are 15-13-5 on the road this season, while the Rangers have a strong record of 18-11-4 on home ice. I think the Rangers' Top 6 forwards will put on another show for the home crowd, and that New York wins this one outright.

My best bet: Rangers ML (-145 at BetMGM)

Penguins vs Rangers moneyline analysis

Games between the Penguins and Rangers always seem to bring out a ton of emotion for both teams, and there is no doubt that they both do not like each other. 

Pittsburgh is certainly going to play with a little bit of an edge in their game after having that horrible loss against Montreal, especially with how important the points are for them right now. They are currently in the postseason as a wild card, but their spot is far from secure. 

Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin have been on fire in the last five games. In this span, Crosby has tallied two goals and six assists, Guentzel has added five goals with two assists, and Malkin has one goal and eight assists. The Rangers' defense, along with Igor Shesterkin, are going to have to focus on shutting these three players down. 

After having a rough patch, Shesterkin has started to pick up his play, going 3-0-1 in his last four starts, skating to a 2.68 GAA and a .904 SV%. 

The Rangers' power play could end up being the difference in this game, as they are going against a subpar Penguins penalty kill that is only successful 79.9% of the time. 

This is going to be an incredible game, but I think the home team will prevail.

Penguins vs Rangers Over/Under analysis

We didn’t see a ton of goals on Sunday afternoon, and I have a strong feeling that this game is going to be very similar. There will be a playoff atmosphere in the building, and both teams will do their best to be defensively sound. 

The Rangers' last game was the first one in a while where it truly felt like this team was reaching their full potential. They looked strong in nearly every area, but what was most noticeable was the way they were limiting their mistakes, especially in the defensive zone. 

The Penguins haven’t been as good as the Rangers have from a defensive standpoint this year, allowing 3.21 goals per game, while the Rangers give up 2.79.

Rivalry games like this one typically trend more toward the Under. The Rangers have gone 4-1 to the Under in their last five games following a win, I think we get a stellar performance from Shesterkin in this one to keep it low-scoring.

Penguins vs Rangers betting trend to know

The Penguins are 1-5 in their last six road games against the Rangers. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs Rangers.

Penguins vs Rangers game info

Penguins vs Rangers key injuries

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