The New Jersey Devils battle the New York Rangers Monday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Rangers lead the series 2-1. Puck drop from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Rangers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Devils picked up a much-needed win in Game 3 after losing the 1st 2 games on home ice in Newark. Jack Hughes scored in regulation, and Dougie Hamilton notched the game-winning goal in overtime for the 2-1 victory.
Coach Lindy Ruff elected to start rookie goaltender Akira Schmid in Game 3, benching Vitek Vanecek, and the 22-year-old Swiss backstop posted 35 saves for his 1st NHL postseason victory.
Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers, notching his 5th goal in the 3 games. He is the first Rangers players to score 5 goals in the 1st 3 games of a postseason. Kreider is +130 at BetMGM Sportsbook as an Anytime Goal Scorer for Game 4, by the way. Hughes, who has 2 goals in the first 3 games, is listed at +155.
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Devils at Rangers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 10:33 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Devils +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Rangers -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-200) | Rangers -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Devils at Rangers projected goalies
Akira Schmid (9-5-2, 2.13 GAA, .922 SV%, 1 SO – regular season) vs. Igor Shesterkin (37-13-8, 2.48 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO – regular season)
Schmid, the team’s 5th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced in his 1st-ever postseason appearance in Game 3. He replaced Vanecek, who was 33-11-4, 2.45 GAA, .911 SV% with 3 SO during regular season. Vanecek is 0-2-0 with a 4.52 GAA and .827 SV% in 2 starts in this series.
Shesterkin had been humming along in the 1st 2 games of the series, and he wasn’t bad in Game 3. He just didn’t get a lot of offensive support. Shesterkin stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the OT loss, and he is now 2-1-0 with a 1.26 GAA and .950 SV% in 3 starts in this series.
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Devils at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 3, Devils 2
Moneyline
The RANGERS (-155) are moderate favorites, and a good bet to win Game 4. The road team has each of the 1st 3 games in the series, and the home team is going to cash eventually.
Despite the win in Game 3, the Devils (+130) are still just 5-12 in the last 17 meetings with the Rangers, and 2-5 in the previous 7 trips to MSG.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Devils +1.5 (-200) will cost you 2 times your potential return, and that’s too much if you require insurance, and you don’t want to pick New Jersey straight up.
The underdog has won and covered the last 3 in this series, and New York is 0-3 in the last 3 games as a favorite dating back to April 10 in the regular season. But it’s still too expensive. If you like Jersey, just bet it straight up.
PASS.
Over/Under
The UNDER 5.5 (+100) is the lean, and a solid value at even-money.
I am still a little dubious of Schmid, despite his success in Game 3. However, with Shesterkin at the other end, allowing just 4 total goals in this series so far, I’ll take my chances on the Under.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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