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The Boston Bruins (20-15-4) take on the New York Rangers (16-19-1) Thursday. Puck drop from Madison Square Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Bruins vs. Rangers odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Rangers won 3-0 last year
The B’s have traded wins and losses with the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets the last 4 games. The latest was a 3-1 defeat at Washington Tuesday. RW Justin Brazeau‘s ninth was the lone tally in the game. The Bruins are 5-4-1 over the last 10 games and are just 8-9-2 on the road.
The Rangers continue their tailspin, losers of 4 in a row and 7 of 8. They took a 5-3 defeat to the chin via the Florida Panthers Monday. RW Chris Kreider blocked out the trade rumors for his 12th goal of the season. The Rangers outshot and held the Panthers to 0-for-4 on the power play but still lost the game. They have scored 6 goals combined in their last 4 games.
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Bruins at Rangers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NHL odds. Lines last updated at 12:07 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Bruins -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Rangers -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Bruins -1.5 (+200) | Rangers +1.5 (-275)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Bruins at Rangers projected goalies
Jeremy Swayman (13-11-3, 2.90 GAA, .891 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Jonathan Quick (5-4-0, 2.69 GAA, .907 SV%, 2 SO)
Swayman stopped 24 of 26 in the Tuesday loss to the Caps. It ended a mini 2-game winning streak. He had an OK December, going 7-2-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .889 SV%, but he’s clearly not the .920 SV% tendy he has been around his entire career right now. He was 0-1-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .921 SV% in 2 starts against the Rangers last year.
The 38-year-old came on in relief Saturday, stopping 11 of 12 against Tampa Bay. He lost his last 3 starts and went 0-3-0 with a 3.74 GAA and .847 SV% in December. He faced the Bruins twice last season, going 2-0-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .895 SV%.
Bruins at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Bruins 3, Rangers 2
Moneyline
This is a hard one to handicap because both teams have really been microwaved manure. Both teams have scored just 6 goals in their last 4 games. The Rangers have scored 3 goals 3 times in the last 10, and they’ve tallied just 16 goals in the stretch total.
Because Swayman is in net, and he has at least been somewhat dependable, I’ll LEAN BRUINS -110.
Puck line/Against the spread
Take DAVID PASTRNAK OVER 3.5 SHOTS (-150). He has 5+ shots in 3 straight games.
Over/Under
The Rangers are 3-7 O/U in their last 10, and the Bruins are 5-5. The Over is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings. The Over hit in 2 of their 3 meetings last year.
I just wrote all of that so I don’t get fined. Because the landscape has changed so much from last season, and these teams can’t hit the net. I’ve pegged it 3-2, but I could see 2-1 or 1-0 as well.
BET UNDER 6 (-120).
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