Golden Knights vs. Rangers Odds
| Golden Knights Odds | +136 |
| Rangers Odds | -162 |
| Over / Under | 6 +100/-118 |
It's a battle of tradition vs. upstart at Madison Square Garden on Friday, as the New York Rangers return home from a disappointing four-game road trip by renewing acquaintances with the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.
New York started the road trip with a 5-1 loss in Vegas last Thursday before finishing it with a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the last-place San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. While the Rangers are floundering, the Golden Knights are finding their form again and are finally back to full health between the pipes.
This matchup sets up for a good betting opportunity to back the road team at plus money Friday night. Let's break down the matchup in our Golden Knights vs. Rangers preview and prediction.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are on a four-game Eastern road swing and are still dealing with a massive list of injuries. But Logan Thompson has been giving his team a chance to win nearly every night since Jan. 6, when Vegas started a 6-2-1 run. Also, Adin Hill looked good in his return to action Tuesday, making 40 saves and spoiling new coach Patrick Roy's narrative in a 3-2 win on Long Island.
With key players like Jack Eichel, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore on the sidelines, the Golden Knights' lineup at MSG will look distinctly different from the group that hoisted the Stanley Cup last June. But Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault has been his usual reliable self, with eight points in his last five games. And Vegas continues to average more than three goals per game despite all their absences. Its expected goals share at 5-on-5 over the last 10 games has taken a hit, though, to a substandard 47.86%.
The Golden Knights are headed into a back-to-back this weekend, finishing off their road trip in Detroit on Saturday. They're finally back to knowing that they'll be well-covered no matter which goaltender gets the nod against the Rangers.
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New York Rangers
On Broadway, the Blueshirts have now been scuffling for a while — still in first place in the Metropolitan Division, but now just 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. That's in spite of a solid possession game during that time, with an expected goals share of 52.60% at 5-on-5. But when scoring and defending both start to slip at the same time, it gets hard to pick up points. The Rangers' team save percentage of .888 at 5-on-5 over the last 10 games is second worst in the league, and their shooting percentage of 7.29% ranks 26th.
The Rangers are basically healthy, but the only players with any kind of scoring touch lately are Chris Kreider, who just saw a four-game point streak snapped, and Adam Fox, who has 10 points in his last eight games.
In an effort to shake things up a bit, the Rangers shuffled their defense pairings at practice Thursday, as well as placing veteran forward Nick Bonino on waivers.
The Rangers are also on a back-to-back, heading to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Saturday. So the games will likely be split between the Rangers' goalies as well. Igor Shesterkin has carried the bulk of the load lately, including five of the last six games. And while Jonathan Quick's stats are still strong, he hasn't delivered a win for the Rangers since Dec. 15.
Golden Knights vs. Rangers
Betting Pick & Prediction
Heading into Friday's game, the Golden Knights sit one point ahead of the Rangers in the NHL standings and have been on an upswing while their hosts have trended down.
Add in a healthy netminding duo and Vegas's 5-1 win over the Rangers last week and they're in good position to complete a series sweep Friday — even against an opponent that is usually reliable on home ice, with a 15-6-0 record this season.
With Vegas opening at +136 on the moneyline, there's plenty of value available for bettors who choose to back the road 'dogs in this matchup.
Golden Knights vs. Rangers Pick: Golden Knights Moneyline (+138 at FanDuel; Play to +110)
