The Pittsburgh Penguins face the New York Rangers in a Metropolitan Division clash. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. In tonight’s matchup, both the Penguins and Rangers look to bounce-back from embarrassing losses on the second half of a back-to-back.
NHL Predictions
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Head-to-Head: Rangers 2-1 Penguins
Time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: TNT; TruTv; Max, Sportsnet
This will be the fourth and final meeting between these teams this season. The Rangers took the first two games, before the Penguins took the third earlier in the month. The Penguins will be looking to tie the series while showcasing potential trade deadline talent, while the Rangers look to dig in in a tight playoff race.
The Penguins’ Story
Pittsburgh sits tied for second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 23-26-9 record. They’re coming off an 8-3 drubbing from the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon. Pittsburgh has continued to struggle defensively, an area of play that has tanked their season to date.
Even with the embarrassing loss, some key players were able to get on the scoreboard. Sidney Crosby is looking to get his 20th straight point-per-game season, surpassing a record set by Wayne Gretzky. He has 59 points in 56 games this season. Rickard Rakell continued his strong play, notching a point in the loss against Washington. He has 49 points with 25 goals in 57 games.
The Rangers’ Story
The Rangers are in a precarious situation. With a record of 27-25-4, they find themselves chasing multiple teams for wildcard spots. Even with recent acquisition JT Miller settling in, the team has a record of 5-5 in their last 10 games.
There have been multiple issues plaguing this team this season. Offensively, integral forwards like Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere have all underperformed. While offence is usually the biggest strength of the Rangers, they’ve found it difficult to score this season. This issue is compounded by a weak defensive system. New York lost 8-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The team as a whole will need to play far better to start building some momentum coming up on the trade deadline.
Prediction
While both teams are struggling, there is far more reason to trust in the Rangers’ ability to find their game than the Penguins. Game-breaking forwards like Artemi Panarin and JT Miller have the potential to steal the show against a defensively anemic Penguins team.
Prediction: Rangers win 5-3.
Prop Bet for the Night
We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets for this game. FanDuel’s Total Goals Over 7 (+265) – The Rangers’ offence is their greatest strength. Following an embarrassing loss, New York is likely to want to make a statement against the Penguins.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: February 23 Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.