The Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers might both be eliminated from this season’s playoffs, but both teams will be looking to finish up the 2018-19 regular season on a positive note when they square off in a mid-week matchup on Wednesday. Now, let’s find out which team is offering the best value in this clash of Eastern Conference counterparts.
Senators vs Rangers NHL Lines, Game Preview & Analysis
As #NYR prepare to face Ottawa tonight, Coach Quinn talks lineup updates, Lundqvist’s mindset, Strome’s strong play and more. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/R6RbVByzE1
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 3, 2019
- When: Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- TV: MSG
- Stream: NHL.tv
- Opening NHL Odds: NY Rangers -170/Ottawa +155 (total 6)
Why Bet On Ottawa?
The Senators have nothing left to play for, but they’ve been playing some decent hockey in winning five of their last nine games despite falling to high-scoring Tampa Bay 5-2 on Monday night. Brady Tkachuk scored in the first period for the Senators while Max Veronneau lit the lamp in the third period. Unfortunately, goalie Craig Anderson allowed all five goals on 26 shots to get the loss to fall to 17-25-4 on the season.
Tkachuk, the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, has scored five times in his last seven games to surpass former star Alexandre Daigle for the most goals by a teenager in franchise history.
“He came in really wanting to prove that he was capable of playing in the league,” interim coach Marc Crawford said. “Everything we give him, he takes and just tries to implement his own identity on to the areas that we gave him. What I like most about him is he doesn’t waste any shifts.”
Ottawa ranks 16th in scoring (3.0 gpg) and an awful 31st in goals allowed (3.6 gpg).
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 2.96
- Shots: 29.68
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.37
- Goals: 3.67
- Shots: 35.90
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.38
Why Bet On The NY Rangers?
The Rangers had their modest two-game winning streak snapped in their 4-2 loss to New Jersey on Monday. Brett Howden and Filip Chytill lit the lamp for New York but goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed three goals allowed on 40 shots to get stuck with the loss.
“The thing that surprised me was how intense the game was for two teams out of the playoffs,” New York coach David Quinn said
Forward Pavel Buchnevich was forced to sit out as part of the concussion protocol, bringing his career-best eight-game point streak to a halt.
“We kept him out for precautionary reasons, but there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see him Wednesday,” Quinn said.
The Rangers average a paltry 2.7 goals per game (23rd) while allowing 3.3 goals per contest defensively (24th).
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 2.78
- Shots: 29.22
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.64
- Goals: 3.32
- Shots: 33.68
- PP/PK Percentage: 22.05
Senators vs Rangers NHL Betting Trends
- Ottawa is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games
- Ottawa is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
- Ottawa is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- NY Rangers is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
- NY Rangers is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction
The Senators have won three of the last four meetings against New York, but they’ve also gone a disgraceful 18-57 in their last 75 road games, an uninspiring 13-31 in their last 44 games following a loss of 3 or more goals and 16-36 in their last 52 overall. Conversely, New York has gone 46-22 in their last 68 games against a team with a winning percentage below .400 while also going 35-17 in their last 52 games as a home favorite of -151 to -200.
With nothing left to play for, I say back New York to get the narrow win because they’re playing at home and the home team has dominated in this Eastern Conference rivalry by going 14-2 in the last 16 meetings.
Pick: NY Rangers 4 Ottawa 3
