Rangers vs. Hurricanes Odds
| Rangers Odds | +125 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -150 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -105 / -115 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Rangers vs. Hurricanes odds for Game 4 on Saturday, May 11 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
A year after getting swept out by the Florida Panthers, the Hurricanes are on the verge of facing a similar outcome, one round earlier.
Carolina probably deserves a better fate, but the Rangers finished as the NHL's top team in the regular season and are a stunning 7-0 in the playoffs.
In this round, all three games have been decided by a single goal. So while a desperate Carolina team could be due for a win, the betting value lies in backing the road dogs to complete the sweep.
Here's my Rangers vs. Hurricanes pick and prediction for tonight.
New York Rangers
If the Rangers can keep rolling, they'll become the first team to sweep their first two playoff series since the NHL went to the currently four-round, best-of-seven format in 1987. The Rangers did go 7-0 when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994, but they dropped the fourth game of their second-round series against the Washington Capitals, then won Game 5.
In this series, it's not like the Rangers have been dominant. Two of the three games have gone to overtime and Carolina has a slight edge in expected goals at 5-on-5 (50.71%). But Igor Shesterkin has been back in his Vezina form, with 9.2 goals saved above expected in the playoffs.
The Rangers also got an emotional boost from Filip Chytil's return to the lineup in Game 3, just over six months after he was sidelined with a head injury. Skating on left wing with Alexander Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko, Chytil logged 12:02 of ice time, bumping Matt Rempe from the lineup and earning praise from coach Peter Laviolette for getting better as the game went on.
With Chytil back in the mix, Laviolette has the option to truly roll four lines, which makes his team even more dangerous. The only player still on the injured list is Blake Wheeler, who's out long-term.
Special teams have been a difference-maker in this series. The Rangers are 4-for-13 on the power play and a perfect 15-for-15 on the penalty kill.
Carolina Hurricanes
Coach Rod Brind'Amour hasn't revealed his starting goaltender for Game 4, but don't be surprised if he goes back to Frederik Andersen, who had played every minute of Carolina's first seven playoff games and has 1.9 goals saved above expected.
After Andersen logged 87:24 of action in Carolina's double-overtime loss in Game 2, it made sense to give rookie Pyotr Kochetkov a crack. And while he didn't have much of a chance on Artemi Panarin's seeing-eye deflection in overtime, he still finished the game at -0.5 goals saved above expected.
That makes Andersen look like the steadier option for Saturday.
In terms of getting the offense going, the Hurricanes have outshot the Rangers in every game of this series — and by large margins in Games 2 and 3. But their relatively even share of expected goals suggests a lot of those shots haven't been quality scoring chances, which makes Shesterkin's job easier.
The biggest difference between these sides is special-teams play. Carolina has had plenty of power-play chances, but has yet to convert and gave up a shorthanded goal in Game 3.
Rangers vs. Hurricanes
Betting Pick & Prediction
The old adage states that in any playoff series, the fourth win is the hardest to achieve. And while history suggests that the Hurricanes have an uphill battle ahead of them, the oddsmakers think the NHL's third-best team in the regular season deserves a positive outcome in Game 4.
On home ice, Carolina opened as a -148 moneyline favorite, a number that has held steady heading into Friday night.
The Rangers will make history if they win their eighth-straight playoff game, but with great goaltending, sharp special teams, the emotional boost of Chytil back and all the confidence in the world, it'd be tough to bet against them even if they weren't significant underdogs.
Look for the Blueshirts to be the first NHL team to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final with another win in Raleigh on Saturday.
Pick: Rangers Moneyline (+130 at FanDuel) | Play to +115
