Hurricanes vs. Rangers Odds
| Hurricanes Odds | -106 |
| Rangers Odds | -110 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-110 / -110) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | MSG |
| Odds via BetRivers. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Will Carolina Hurricanes Hit a Wall?
Carolina will have an excellent postseason tune-up in this matchup and will look to illustrate why things could be different this season after recent letdowns.
Generating next to anything against Carolina is very tough for the opposition, and the Hurricanes are regularly able to out-chance opponents with a wealth of shots on goal at the other end.
Whether or not Carolina will hit a wall offensively come playoff time is the question; its throw-everything-at-the-net approach under coach Rod Brind'Amour has fizzled out in the postseason thus far.
Injuries to excellent goal scorers in Andrei Svechnikov and Max Pacioretty hurt Carolina's scoring upside significantly, but even still, the Canes' dominant two-way play surely still gives it a shot at a Cup title.
An obvious reason New York has made for a tough matchup versus Carolina recently comes down to Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin is dominant at saving pucks coming on chances in which he is able to set himself to the initial shooter, and that strength makes him stand out in particular considering the specific kinds of shots he often faces versus Carolina.
Carolina's goaltending situation does offer some concerns for the time being, but it's likely less of a talking point due to how incredibly strong Carolina's team defense has been.
Frederik Andersen is still viewed as the No. 1 option, but he has played to a lowly -5.3 GSAx rating and .902 save % in 26 games.
Pyotr Kochetkov has fared better with a .909 save % and +5.4 GSAx rating, but he's relatively unproven and could regress in a larger sample at the NHL level.
Confirmation of tonight's starter should become available at the morning skate.
New York Rangers
At even strength, New York does not have the kind of two-way forwards whom Carolina can offer throughout its lineup, and they're always likely to carry a little less of the overall play in matchups versus the Hurricanes.
The Rangers can cover that gap, however, with a wealth of strong playmakers dishing to elite finishers, and on paper, they're significantly better than Carolina at the art of scoring goals.
New York has won four straight games with a combined goal differential of +13, and it has generated 5.5 goals for per game in that span.
Ryan Lindgren took the morning skate alongside Adam Fox, which should likely put an end to the Fox-Nikko Mikkola pairing, which clears up one of the few remaining flaws with the Rangers roster.
Igor Shesterkin was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, and he is likely to start in goal based on that.
Shesterkin has played to an incredible .927 save % over his last eight games, and he's seemingly reaching the incredible level we saw throughout his Vezina Trophy campaign a year ago.
Hurricanes vs. Rangers Pick
New York's current roster composition and playing style have clearly made for a tough matchup for Carolina. A lot of the reasons that New York has given the Hurricanes fits could be more pronounced now than ever.
Shesterkin has been extremely sharp over the last few weeks and is looking like the player who ran away with last year's Vezina race, which offers a drastic edge in goal over Kochetkov or Andersen.
New York's powerplay has looked lethal recently, which is expected considering the excellent mixture of talent on board, and it should continue moving forward.
The scoring talents on New York's roster are more than Carolina can offer and should help to cover up for owning a little less of the overall play.
If Shesterkin plays, -110 is a good number to back the Rangers to stay hot, and I would play New York down to -115.
Pick: New York Rangers (-110 at BetRivers)
