The New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes battle Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-five Qualifying Series round at noon ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, one of two hub locations for the NHL restart. We analyze the Rangers-Hurricanes NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Projected starting goalies
Igor Shesterkin vs. Petr Mrazek
Shesterkin made the start in Wednesday’s exhibition matchup against the New York Islanders. While bench boss David Quinn hasn’t officially named a starting backstop for Game 1, Shesterkin’s start on Wednesday is a strong indication that he will be in between the pipes against Carolina. He posted a stellar 10-2-0 record, 2.52 goals against average and .932 save percentage across 12 starts before the pause button was pressed on the season. That includes a 27-save performance in a 5-2 win in Raleigh back on Feb. 21.
As far as Mrazek is concerned, he is looking for another strong postseason run after his successful initial campaign with the Hurricanes a year ago. Like Shesterkin, Mrazek also started his team’s preseason affair against Washington. While he posted a 21-16-2 mark with a 2.69 GAA and .905 SV% across 40 appearances (38 starts), he was a dismal 0-3-0 with a 3.44 GAA and .872 SV% in three starts against the Blueshirts this season.
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Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Rangers 3, Hurricanes 2
Moneyline (ML)
The RANGERS (+110) are a value as underdogs considering the fact they went 4-0 vs. the Hurricanes (-129) in the regular season. In fact, the Rangers have won 41 of the previous 55 meetings between these Metropolitan Division rivals, as the Original Six club just has some sort of power over the ‘Canes that cannot be properly explained.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Rangers to win returns a profit of $11, while a $10 wager on the Hurricanes results in a profit of $7.75.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Rangers (+1.5, -250) are just too expensive on the puck line. Since they’re expected to win as short dogs, you don’t need the insurance anyway. The Hurricanes (-1.5, +200) are a great play on the puck line if you’re feeling they can break out of their funk against New York. A better bet, though a long shot, might be taking Adam Fox (+5000) as either the first goal scorer, or last goal scorer in the match. The Rangers beat Mrazek for nine goals this season, and Fox has two of them, the only multiple goal scorer for New York against the Carolina tendy this season.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 6 (-121) is the play. Defenses likely are going to dominate out of the gate while the offensive players work through some rubbery legs. Goaltenders should have the advantage early on before the players start to get their groove back. Look for plenty of lower-scoring games early on in the qualifiers.
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