We’ve got a brand-new series as the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers head back to Raleigh tied at two games apiece. The home team has won every game in this series, but that trend may not survive tonight.
Igor Shesterkin remains strong in goal for the Rangers, but who will the Hurricanes slot in the blue paint?
See who has the betting edge with our Rangers vs. Hurricanes NHL picks and predictions for Thursday, May 26.
Rangers vs Hurricanes Game 5 odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Rangers opened up as +125 road underdogs, but are +140 as of Thursday morning. The total opened at 5.5 and hasn’t had any movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Rangers vs Hurricanes Game 5 predictions
Predictions made on 5/26/2022 at 8:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Rangers vs Hurricanes Game 5 info
• Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• Date: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Rangers vs Hurricanes series odds
Rangers: +130
Hurricanes: -150
Rangers vs Hurricanes Game 5 betting preview
Key injuries
Rangers: Barclay Goodrow F (Out), Sammy Blais F (Out).
Hurricanes: Jordan Martinook F (Out), Frederik Andersen G (Questionable).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Rangers vs Hurricanes head-to-head record this series
Rangers: 2-1-1 SU, 8 goals for.
Hurricanes: 2-2-0 SU, 6 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams in Carolina. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Hurricanes.
Rangers vs Hurricanes Game 5 picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
It feels like the momentum in this series has completely shifted in favor of the New York Rangers, but you have to take into account that the Carolina Hurricanes are undefeated at home this postseason.
The Canes appear to be a completely different team when they are at PNC Arena, considering that they haven’t found a way to win an away game yet. Carolina is definitely excited to be back in comfortable settings — but there are a ton of question marks leading into this game.
One noticeable struggle for the Canes is that — dating back to the regular season — they have now gone seven straight games against the Rangers without scoring a power-play goal. During the regular season, the Canes power play was converting at 22%, but it has been horrendous in these playoffs, converting at just 11.1%.
The Rangers have been excellent on the man advantage in this postseason, currently scoring on 26.7% of their power-play chances and finding the net in back-to-back games.
It's unclear who the Canes will start in goal, as Antti Raanta has gotten them to this point, but Frederik Andersen has been back to practicing, and he was the No. 1 guy all year long.
With the play of Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers’ advantage in special teams, I think they have incredible value to steal a game on the road tonight and take their first lead of this series.
Prediction: Rangers moneyline (+140 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
The Under trend continued in Game 4, but the Rangers were finally able to explode a bit offensively for the first time in this series, putting four goals past Raanta.
Raanta has had a good showing in this series, but Shesterkin has completely stolen the show. In this series alone, he’s posting a 1.25 GAA and a .959 save percentage, giving up just five goals in the first four games.
Even though Shesterkin has been lights out, Raanta has been on fire on home ice at PNC Arena, where he’s 5-0 with .968 save percentage and a 1.70 GAA. He’s been a completely different goalie at home.
The Under has hit in all four of this series’ games, and with Carolina struggling offensively, I don’t see that changing much. The Rangers have struggled offensively on the road in this series, so we might not see much goal-scoring from them either.
The goaltending and team defenses have been the story of this entire series, and that will once again be the case tonight.
I like this game to stay Under.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (-140 at DraftKings)
Best bet
This series has been completely different in Carolina, and now that it’s tied at 2-2, everything will tighten up a bit defensively with how crucial this game will be. In the first two Carolina home games, there was only one first-period goal scored between both contests.
There are rumors that the Hurricanes might start Frederik Andersen in this game, but I have a feeling that they will stick with Antti Raanta, especially due to how well he has played on home ice.
There will be more nerves in this game than any other we’ve seen in this series, and typically when that happens, the first period is all about limiting mistakes and weathering a storm.
Igor Shesterkin has answered every storm he’s faced against Carolina, and I think he will do that once again tonight. The first period will be very energetic, but I expect both team defenses to bend and not break. I like the Under in the first 20 minutes.
Pick: First period Under 1.5 (-145 at DraftKings)
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