Our NHL playoff picks have held steady through the first three days with all three Over/Under picks pushing on ‘5’. For Game 2 of the Ottawa Senators vs. New York Rangers we’ve dug a little deeper into the odds to try and nail down a win
The Rangers are 30-11 all-time in NHL Playoff series after winning Game 1
New York opened the scoring against Ottawa 12 minutes into the first period Thursday when Ryan Callaghan scored off a rebound, beating Sens netminder Craig Anderson. One of the headlines going into Game 1 was that Anderson was 6-0 at Madison Square Garden with a 1.13 goals against average and two shutouts but those stats meant little in the 4-2 Rangers final.
They apparently don’t mean much to sports betting shops today, either. New York is favored by -170 on the moneyline with a total of 5 Over -130. It’s nearly identical to the NHL odds for the first contest but the adjusted series price on New York has reached 7-to-2.
Ottawa was a top scoring threat this season, ranked fourth overall with 2.96 goals per game (GPG). Those numbers were bolstered by a 3.03 scoring average in the second-half but Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was perfect until Daniel Alfredsson connected from Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek at 10:05 of the third period.
The Senators can’t afford to fall behind 2-0 in this series but everything is going right for John Tortorella’s crew. Odds on New York winning the East have dropped to +170 and with another win; it won’t be long before online sportsbooks start charging a premium for that future.
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START WITH 20
The lone first period goal on Thursday ended a three-game streak for the Rangers where 3-plus goals were scored in the first 20 minutes. Odds for the first period total tonight are hedged heavily to the “Under” at -140 and we expect another low scoring first.
– In 2011 vs. Washington, only one first period goal was scored between the Rangers and Caps in five games
It’s a little too much chalk for this sports bettor, but here’s a hockey betting alternative that we’re backing to earn a spot in the win column tonight.
NHL PLAYOFF PICKS
The Rangers were fourth in the league this year allowing just 49 first period goals. They also ranked second best in the back-half of the season, holding opponents to 25.8 shots on goal. A slow start for the Sens just adds fuel to King Henrik’s playoff quest and although he is still only 16-20 overall in the postseason, it probably won’t be long before that record moves into the black.
Pick: Take the Senators Team Total Under 2.5 goals (-130)
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