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The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers meet Sunday in Game 3 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final. Series tied 1-1. Puck drop from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Rangers vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Rangers suffered the 3-0 loss on home ice in Game 1, as Sergei Bobrovsky was a brick wall in the opener. The Panthers offense didn’t exactly light it up against Igor Shesterkin in that game, scoring 1 goal, with the Rangers allowing an own goal and an empty-net goal.
Game 1 saw the Under cash, snapping a 19-0-1 run to the Over in the previous 20 meetings dating back to 2016. Game 2 also saw the Under cash, as the Rangers avoided digging themselves into an 0-2 series hole.
New York scratched out a 2-1 win in overtime, with Barclay Goodrow notching his 2nd game-winning goal of the playoffs. The Rangers avoided losing the first 2 games at home, as only the 1945 Detroit Red Wings have come back to win a conference final series after losing the 1st 2 at home.
Suddenly, the Under is on a 2-0 run in this series after the long Over streak. In fact, we’ve had just 3.0 average goals per game in this series, and it’s unlikely we’ll see a giant uptick in offense in South Florida.
The Rangers have struggled on the power play, going 0-for-6 in the 2 games to date.
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Rangers at Panthers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 10:13 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rangers +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Panthers -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rangers +1.5 (-200) | Panthers -1.5 (+165)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +110 | U: -135)
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Rangers at Panthers projected goalies
Igor Shesterkin (9-3-0, 2.22 GAA, .928 SV% — 2024 playoffs) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (9-4-0, 2.12 GAA, .912 SV%, 1 SO — 2024 playoffs)
Shesterkin kicked aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced in Game 2, and he has allowed 3 or fewer goals in each of his previous 4 outings. While the offense has managed 2 or fewer goals of support, he is still humming right along.
Bobrovsky made another ridiculous highlight-reel save in Game 2, but he was unable to shut down an odd-man break in overtime, as Goodrow cashed in on a slot bomb to square the series. Bob is still one of the favorites to win the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Panthers were to advance and win it all, but we still have a long way to go.
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Rangers at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 3, Rangers 2
Moneyline
The PANTHERS (-155) are a strong play in Game 3 in front of their home fans. The Rangers (+130) have struggled on the power play, going 0-for-6 in this series so far. New York needs to give Shesterkin a lot more offensive help than they are.
Florida has dropped 2 of the past 3 games on home ice, and this one won’t be lopsided by any means. Expect a low-scoring, hard-hitting affair with few chances taken by each side.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Rangers +1.5 (-200) will set you back 2 times your potential return, and that’s far too great of a risk for such a small return.
If you like New York, just bet it straight up for a much better value.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 5.5 (-135) is a little on the costly side, but based upon the offensive results we’ve seen in this series so far, it’s a sound investment.
There have been a total of just 6 combined goals in the 2 games, including 1 own goal and another overtime winner. That means we’ve basically seen 4 legit goals in regulation in 120 minutes.
After years of Over results between these 2 teams, they’re each making up for lost time with a handful of Unders now.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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