The New York Rangers (1-2-0) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0) square off Friday for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop at PPG Paints Arena. Below, we analyze the Rangers-Penguins NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Rangers at Penguins: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Rangers +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Penguins -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Rangers +1.5 (-210) | Penguins -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under: 6.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
Rangers at Penguins: Projected starting goalies
Igor Shesterkin (0-1-0, .902 SV%, 3.09 GAA) vs. Tristan Jarry (0-2-0, .727 SV%, 7.57 GAA)
Shesterkin came made a relief appearance against the New Jersey Devils Tuesday for the ineffective Alexandar Georgiev. Shesterkin turned aside all 8 shots he faced.
Jarry has had a horrific start to his campaign, allowing nine goals on 33 shots in a pair of games against the Philadelphia Flyers last Wednesday and Friday. He has the backing of general manager Jim Rutherford, who is confident Jarry will bounce back to form.
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Rangers at Penguins: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Rangers 4, Penguins 3
Money line (ML)
The RANGERS (+125) are a great value at plus-money on the road against the struggling Jarry. In addition, the Penguins have a ton of injuries on the back end, as D Marcus Pettersson is out with an upper-body ailment, D Juuso Riikola is on the mend with an upper-body issue, as well, and D Chad Ruhwedel was away from the team due to the birth of a child. While he is expected to play Friday, during COVID-19 times, coming and going always has some risk.
Until Jarry gets his act together, and Pittsburgh gets a little healthier, fade the Pens.
Against the spread (ATS)
Rarely, if ever, will I play an underdog on the puck line. Rangers +1.5 (-210) just makes no sense. I like them straight up at plus-money, so risking two times your potential return for a little insurance is not the way to go.
AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 6.5 (-120) is a solid play, although it’s a bit of a high total. But really, what’s the difference between a flat 6 or this line. You need 7 goals for a winning ticket.
The Pens have scored 2.7 goals per game while yielding 4.7 goals per outing. Jarry has gotten off to a slow start, and the Over is 4-0 for Pittsburgh overall. Keep slamming the Over until the Pens start rounding into form.
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