The New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes are back in action Tuesday for Game 3 of the best-of-five qualification round series at 8 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. We analyze the Rangers-Hurricanes NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Hurricanes lead 2-0.
Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Projected starting goalies
Henrik Lundqvist vs. Petr Mrazek
Rookie Igor Shesterkin was again listed as not physically fit for Game 2, so the veteran Lundqvist made a second consecutive start Monday. It wasn’t good, as he yielded four goals on 34 shots in the loss. After dominating the Hurricanes in the regular season, Carolina has turned the tables on the Blueshirts, pushing them to the brink. Expect Lundqvist to be in there yet again for Game 3.
Mrazek didn’t look great against the Rangers during the regular season, but he has regained the postseason magic he showed during his team’s run a year ago. He allowed just one Artemi Panarin power-play goal on 24 shots in the victory, and he was helped by second-year phenom Andrei Svechnikov, who netted the first-ever playoff hat trick in Hurricanes franchise history.
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Rangers vs. Hurricanes: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Rangers 4, Hurricanes 3
Moneyline (ML)
The RANGERS (+130) have their backs up against the wall, and they’re about to have their Toronto vacation (and season) end early if they can’t find a way to beat Mrazek. So far they have had very few answers against the Carolina tendy. They have dominated the Hurricanes in the past, winning 37 of the past 51 meetings, but so far that hasn’t mattered since the restart. The underdog is still 6-2 in the previous eight in this series, and the Blueshirts will bow their backs and show a little pride here.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Rangers returns a profit of $13, while a $10 wager on the Hurricanes (-154) results in a profit of $6.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Rangers +1.5 (-223) are just too expensive on the puck line. The +1, -139 line is a little more attractive, but still, why pay juice when you can bet them straight up and make plus-money? It just doesn’t make sense to bet the dogs on the puck line in almost any circumstance, and it’s especially silly to bet +1 in most situations. Not many experienced bettors ever do that.
Why risk it and play a potential win into a push? The Hurricanes (-1.5, +180) are tempting, if you feel they’re going to finish this off and broom the Blueshirts, but I have picked against Carolina all series and just can’t see a sweep. AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (+105) is a rather strong bet, as the Carolina offense has been high octane against the Rangers so far. It’s a quick turnaround for Mrazek, so you can expect he’ll let in a few more here, too. While the Under is 6-2 across the past eight meetings in this series, buck the trend and look for the Over.
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