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The New York Rangers and Florida Panthers meet Tuesday in Game 4 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final, which the Rangers lead 2-1 after back-to-back overtime victories. 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.
After splitting a pair of low-scoring games at Madison Square Garden and the Rangers losing home-ice advantage, they responded with a wild 5-4 victory in overtime Sunday in Game 3 to seize back that home-ice advantage.
C Alex Wennberg provided the heroics Sunday 5:35 into OT, earning the Rangers their 1st series lead. C Barclay Goodrow remained hot with 2 goals, while LW Alexis Lafreniere joined him in the 2-goal club with a pair of even-strength goals in regulation.
Despite a 5-goal outburst against Panthers G Sergei Bobrovsky, the Rangers were unable to strike for a power-play goal. New York is 0-for-8 on the man advantage in this series, although it does have a shorthanded goal.
Florida has been involved in 5 one-goal games in the past 6 outings, losing 3 of those contests.
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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 at 5:17 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rangers +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Panthers -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rangers +1.5 (-175) | Panthers -1.5 (+145)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +105 | U: -125)
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Rangers at Panthers projected goalies
Igor Shesterkin (10-3-0, 2.33 GAA, .925 SV% — 2024 playoffs) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (9-5-0, 2.31 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO — 2024 playoffs)
Shesterkin let in 4 goals on 37 shots in the Game 3 overtime victory, and he has made 24 or more saves in 8 consecutive outings. After winning the first 7 games of these playoffs, he is 3-3 and 4 of his last 5 wins came in overtime. In fact, he is 4-0 when games have been decided in OT this postseason.
Bobrovsky was good for just 18 saves on 23 shots in Game 3, his most goals allowed since Game 4 of the Tampa Bay series when he conceded 6 goals on 32 shots. Game 3 was a giant change from his first 2 starts at MSG when he allowed just 2 goals on 54 shots, including a 3-0 Game 1 shutout victory.
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Rangers at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 4, Rangers 3
Moneyline
The PANTHERS (-175) are a little on the pricey side, but they are a good play in Game 4 for the bounce back.
The Rangers (+145) have won 5 of their 6 playoff games on the road, so they’re tempting to play in Game 4. However, the Panthers went 26-13-2 at home in the regular season, and 4-3 at home in the postseason. While Florida has dropped 3 of the past 4 games, including the past 2 outings, don’t look for Bobrovsky to struggle again like he did in Game 3.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Rangers +1.5 (-175) will cost nearly 2 times the potential return. That’s too much risk for not enough reward.
If you like New York, just bet it straight up.
PASS.
Over/Under
OVER 5.5 (+105) is a strong play at plus-money.
The Under cashed in the first 2 games at Madison Square Garden, but there were 9 total goals in Game 3 to hit the Over (5.5).
The Over is 20-2-1 in the past 23 meetings between these teams dating back to 2016.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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