New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

8 minute read

The New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins hook up at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh Friday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, a best-of-seven series. The Penguins lead the series 3-2. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on TNT.

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Score Prediction

Rangers 3, Penguins 2

Best Bet

Rangers -118
Over 6.5 (-120)

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PREDICTIONS

The Rangers fell behind 2-0 on home ice in Game 5, and it appeared the end of the road was upon the Blueshirts. But Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere and Jacob Trouba had other ideas, scoring three goals within a 2:42 span late in the second period to take a brief 3-2 lead on Wednesday. Jake Guentzel struck for his second goal of the game at 18:06 of the second to tie it up 3-3 heading to the third.

Filip Chytil notched a power-play goal, and Ryan Lindgren rolled home an unassisted empty-net marker for insurance to help the Rangers stave off elimination, 5-3. The Rangers will now try and get it done in the Steel City in Game 6, where they struggled in Games 3 and 4 in losing a pair of games by a combined 14-6 margin.

To make matters worse for the Penguins, superstar Sidney Crosby checked out of Wednesday's game after a high hit in the second period from Trouba. It's uncertain if the Department of Player Safety will be hitting up Trouba's phone Thursday or Friday, and it's uncertain if Sid the Kid will be well enough for Game 6.

Head coach Gerard Gallant stuck with Igor Shesterkin, and he stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced for the victory, but can he do it on the road? He is 0-2 with 10 goals allowed in two road starts in Pittsburgh during the series, and he was pulled early in favor of Alexandar Georgiev in those games.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING ODDS

Rangers -118
Penguins -104
Rangers -1.5 (+185)
Penguins +1.5 (-233)
Over 6.5 (+102)
Under 6,5 (-120)

More Odds | Stanley Cup Odds

Updated on 12/26/2024

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NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
• Matchup: Metropolitan vs. Metropolitan
• Venue: PPG Paints Arena
• Location: Pittsburgh, Penn.
• TV-Time: TNT, 7:00 p.m. ET

NEW YORK RANGERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 54-26-7
• ATS: 44-43
• O/U: 37-47-3

The Rangers kept their season alive in Game 5, but a trip to Pittsburgh will be a completely different story than playing at Madison Square Garden. And, they are likely to face a very, very hostile environment after knocking the fan favorite Crosby out of the game.

New York has picked up just three victories in the past nine games, while winning eight of the previous 12 on the road. But two of those losses have been in the Steel City in this series, and those games weren't even close.

For totals, the OVER has hit in seven of the past eight outings for the Rangers, while cashing at a 7-0-2 clip in the past nine postseason tilts, while going 5-0 in this series.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 49-27-11
• ATS: 43-44
• O/U: 45-39-3

The Penguins blew a 2-0 lead midway through Game 5, failing to eliminate the Rangers at MSG on Wednesday. The good news is that the Pens have two more opportunities to send New York to the golf course. The bad news is that Crosby was lost due to injury and is uncertain, and Tristan Jarry (foot) is still not back, so the Penguins have to lean upon third-string journeyman goalie Louis Domingue, likely for the remainder of the series. Domingue was shaky in Game 5, allowing four goals on 33 shots.

The Penguins have won five of the past seven games at home, while going 14-5 in the previous 19 as a home underdog. But they're also just 3-6 in the past nine Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Round, too.

For totals, the Penguins have cashed the OVER in six straight, while going 7-0-2 in the previous nine playoff games, so it hasn't really mattered who is in between the pipes. The OVER is also 13-3-3 in the previous 19 encounters between these rivals in Pittsburgh, including both Games 3 and 4.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS CONCLUSION

Officially, Crosby is dealing with an upper-body injury, and his status for Game 6 is uncertain. That could be a shoulder, it could be a concussion. The details are sketchy, as per usual in the NHL. If he is sidelined, that's obviously a huge deal, and could tilt the scales in favor of the Rangers.

New York has flirted with disaster in this series, but it still has the best goaltender by a mile. And it has a top-notch defenseman in Fox, and a bevy of high-flying scorers in Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Look for the Rangers to force this series back to MSG for a decisive Game 7 over the weekend.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS BETTING TRENDS

• Rangers are 3-6 in the past nine games.
• Rangers are 8-4 in the past 12 road games.
• Rangers are 4-9 in the past 13 playoff games as a favorite.
• Penguins are 5-2 in the past seven home games.
• Penguins are 2-5 in the past seven as an underdog.
• Penguins are 14-5 in the past 19 as a home 'dog.
• Penguins are 3-6 in the past nine Eastern QF games.
• OVER is 7-1 in the past eight games for the Rangers.
• OVER is 7-1 in the past eight as a favorite for the Rangers.
• OVER is 5-0 in the past five Eastern QF games for the Rangers.
• OVER is 7-0-2 in the past nine playoff games for the Rangers.
• OVER is 6-0 in the past six games for the Penguins.
• OVER is 14-6-1 in the past 21 home games for the Penguins.
• OVER is 11-4-3 in the past 18 Eastern QF Games for the Penguins.
• Rangers are 1-7 in the past eight trips to Pittsburgh.
• Favorite is 11-5 in the past 16 meetings.
• Home team is 14-4 in the past 18 meetings.
• OVER is 26-8-5 in the past 39 meetings.
• OVER is 13-3-3 in the past 19 meetings in Pittsburgh.

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Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish