If you had to pick a favorite to win the Stanley Cup right now, it would be easy to look at the teams that are sitting at or near the top of the standings. The Boston Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year and are in possession of the best regular season record at the moment, but are they really the favorites? More often than not, we see a team come out of nowhere to make a run at the Stanley Cup, just as the St. Louis Blues did last season. It’s never a good idea to count out any team until they are mathematically eliminated, and one glance at the Wild Card standings tells you just how tight things are there right now. The Carolina Hurricanes, who made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final last season, are in the final Wild Card spot in the East at the moment, but they have a several teams hot on their heels, one of whom is the New York Rangers. This is a huge game for both teams and one that the Hurricanes will start favored by 1 ½. The goal total for this one is set at 6 ½. Let’s see how the NHL odds will be for the Rangers vs Hurricanes.
Rangers vs Hurricanes 2020 NHL Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Friday, February 21 at 7 PM EST
- Where: PNC Arena, Charlotte
- TV: TVA
- NHL Odds:
Why bet on the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers came into this season in the middle of a rebuild, so it is perhaps a little surprising that they are still hanging around in the playoff race. They come into this game with a season record of 31-24-4, with their 66 points leaving them 6 back of the Carolina Hurricanes for the final Wild Card spot. It goes without saying that a win here would be absolutely huge for the Rangers. They are certainly playing well enough to get that victory, picking up wins in 7 of their last 10 games. They have been decent on the road, going 15-11-2 away from home, but they have been particularly good against the spread in those games, going 19-9 ATS.
Why bet on the Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes snuck into the postseason last year, but they made the most of their time there, going to the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Boston Bruins. It’s beginning to look as though they might need to go the sneaky route again this season, as they are barely clinging to the #8 seed in the East, with several teams hot on their heels. The Hurricanes are 34-21-4 on the season, which puts them just a point back of the Columbus Blue Jackets, so a win here could se them start to move up in the right direction. A win is not guaranteed here, though, especially when you consider that they have lost all 3 meetings with this Rangers this season. One of those defeats came at home, where the Hurricanes are 19-9-2 this season.
Rangers vs Hurricanes Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
It has not just been this season where the Rangers have been dominant against the Hurricanes, as they have in fact won 8 of their last 10 meetings with Carolina. I think they add another W to that list, albeit in a close one.
New York Rangers 4 Carolina Hurricanes 3
