New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers Free NHL Pick

Rangers Look Good For a NHL Odds Road Win vs Canucks

Written by on December 8, 2015

It is mostly true that defense wins championships, but when games are a little more open during the regular season, you also need an offense that can put the puck on the net on a pretty regular basis. The New York Rangers are doing both, as they have struck a near perfect balance between offense and defense. They will have to put both to the test again when they travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks on Wednesday night.

Rangers @ Canucks NHL Odds Game Information and Opening Lines

Date/Time: Wednesday, December 09, 2015 10:00 PM ET Venue: Rogers Arena Opening Lines: New York -129, Vancouver +120 (Live Streaming Option) The Rangers (18-7-3) came storming out of the gate to start the season, and pretty quickly looked like a good bet to potentially repeat as winners of the President’s Trophy. Things have come a little unglued of late, though, and the Rangers are just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. It has been a lack of scoring that has hurt during that stretch, with the Rangers scoring a goal or less in 4 of their last 7 games. The good news is that they may have just had a break out game with their 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators to end the week. They could be in for a bit of a rough ride this week, though, as they have a 3-game western road trip that is never an easy rode for any team. The Rangers are a pretty healthy 6-3-2 on the road, but with 5 of the next 6 coming away from home, they are going to have to be at their best if they want to break out of this mini-slump. Canucks-vs-Sabres-NHL-Odds-compressor You can’t talk about slumps without invoking the name of the Vancouver Canucks (10-11-8). They have managed just 3 wins in their last 13 games, yet they are still clinging onto 3rd spot in what has been a pretty dismal Pacific Division this season. The Canucks have tried a number of different things, including giving goaltender Ryan Miller a seat on the bench, in order to break out of the slump, but nothing has really helped so far. They are coming off a confidence-boosting 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, with Ryan Vrbata lighting things up with the hat-trick. The Rangers are a pretty different proposition that Buffalo, though, and they can expect things to be a whole lot tougher on Wednesday night. The Canucks are sitting in the middle of the pack in most of the major offensive and defensive stats, but they are on a slide that could see things get worse before they get better.

Key Betting Trends

  • NY Rangers is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
  • NY Rangers is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
  • Vancouver is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver’s last 5 games
  • Vancouver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

Consider This Before Placing Your Bet

It has been the road team that has come up trumps in the last 3 meetings between these two teams, and that is a trend that I think will continue. The better option here, though, may well be the UNDER 5.5.