The New Jersey Devils visit the New York Rangers Saturday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Puck drop from Madison Square Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Devils vs. Rangers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Rangers hold a commanding 2-0 series lead, and now they’re coming home for a pair of games.
New York picked up a pair of 5-1 victories in the 1st 2 installments in this series. In Game 1, the Rangers cashed in on the power play twice in 3 opportunities, while the Devils were 0-for-4. The good times continued to roll in Game 2, as the Blueshirts went 2-for-7 on the man advantage, with the Devils going 1-for-4.
The Devils have now lost 4 straight games in the Conference Quarterfinals round, and that luck might not change at MSG. New Jersey is 1-5 in the past 6 skates in Manhattan, while going 4-12 in the previous 16 meetings in the series.
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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 at 11 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Devils +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Rangers -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Devils +1.5 (-225) | Rangers -1.5 (+185)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Devils at Rangers projected goalies
Vitek Vanecek (33-11-4, 2.45 GAA, .911 SV%, 3 SO – regular season) vs. Igor Shesterkin (37-13-8, 2.48 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO – regular season)
Vanecek has allowed 9 total goals on just 52 shots, good for an abysmal .827 SV% with a 4.52 GAA in the 2 starts. He remains stuck on just 1 win in 5 NHL postseason career starts.
Shesterkin has been on fire in this series, going 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .961 SV% in 2 starts. He picked up 10 playoff wins last season, and he has sparkled so far in this postseason. Goaltending has been the difference, and Shesterkin’s experience has been hard to beat.
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Devils at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 4, Devils 2
Moneyline
The RANGERS (-145) are looking to for a commanding 3-0 series lead, and it’s hard to find any reason to believe in the Devils (+120) after they were outscored 10-2 on home ice in the first 2 games of the series.
In fact, it’s a little surprising that New York isn’t favored by more. New Jersey is 4-12 in the past 16 meetings in this series, and 1-5 in the past 6 trips through the Holland Tunnel to Manhattan.
Puck line/Against the spread
The RANGERS -1.5 (+185) are worth a roll of the dice on the puck line, especially for a chance to nearly double up on your initial wager.
New York won the 1st 2 games in this series by 4 goals apiece, both times as an underdog. As a favorite, the Rangers are 3-3 in the past 6 games, covering the puck line 3 times.
Over/Under
The OVER 5.5 (-120) is the lean, cashing in each of the 1st 2 games in this series by a half-goal in each contest.
The Over is 5-1-1 in the past 7 road games for the Devils, while going 5-2-2 in the past 9 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 9-1-1 in the past 11 Conference Quarterfinals games for the Rangers, too.
The Over has cashed at a 10-2-1 clip in the previous 13 meetings at MSG, too.
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