The surging Vancouver Canucks are making up ground against Anaheim at the top of the Pacific Division. However, they are in for a tough trip to New York as the Rangers are also red hot and embroiled in a divisional race of their own at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
A win could bring the Rangers within two points of the Islanders, who are active Thursday as well in a game against the Predators that we’ve previewed here. Read on for more of this marquee game at MSG below.
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Vancouver Canucks vs. New York Rangers Betting Preview
The Vancouver Canucks are on quite a tear in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won six of their last seven games against East Coast teams, including three on the road. Veteran netminder Ryan Miller starred in those games. He has posted three shutouts and a 1.28 GAA over the seven-game stretch.
[sc:NHL240 ]With his stellar play of late, expect Miller to play between the pipes for the Canucks despite his recent struggles against New York. Miller is 2-8 with a 3.40 GAA in his last 10 games against the Rangers. He won’t have it any easier with a patchwork blue line in front of him. Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev are both considered day-to-day and Kevin Bieska is on injured reserve.
The Canucks need every bit of offense they can muster to disguise their makeshift defense. The Sedin brothers have thrived on the Vancouver top line. After netting a goal and assisting in another in Monday’s 3-2 win over Minnesota, Henrik now has a total of eight points in nine games this February. Daniel had an assist in that game to bring his points total to seven this month.
While the spotlight may be on the Sedin brothers, two Canucks may slip under the radar to deliver on big performances. Leading scorer Radim Vrbata is two games removed from a seven-game point streak. He had nine points over the stretch, including four in his last three games against Eastern teams. Rookie Bo Horvat is also on quite a stretch. He’s on a four-game point streak with two goals and two assists.
The total has gone under in four of the last six games between the Canucks and the Rangers.
Betting on the New York Rangers
A few weeks ago, the New York Rangers were down in the wild card spot in the East. Now, they’ve won four straight and are sitting at second in the tight Metropolitan Division. The Rangers also have quite the streak going against Vancouver. They’ve won five straight against the Canucks, with four through the heroics of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist won his last four starts against Vancouver with a GAA of 0.75 and has saved 99 percent of shots. But the Rangers’ premier netminder is out on injured reserve due to a vascular injury (his throat was hit by a puck on January 31) for at least three weeks.
But that doesn’t mean that they’ll be any weaker between the pipes. Backup goalie Cam Talbot has filled in nicely despite some early struggles. Talbot lost back-to-back starts against Nashville and Dallas, but has racked up four straight wins. Still, opponents may be licking their chops at the prospect of facing the inexperienced New York goalie with a 3.25 GAA in his win streak. Talbot won his lone start against Vancouver, a 5-2 home win in November 2013.
The Rangers may turn up the intensity against a team they’ve dominated since 2011. They’ve netted 3.6 goals per game in their five wins against the Canucks and are averaging 5.5 goals in their current four-game win streak.
New York has devastated its opponents due to plenty of scoring options all across the ice led by Rick Nash. He has been pretty dangerous this season and leads the Rangers with 35 goals. Locking Nash down may not be of much use as he has also been excellent at finding his teammates for assists. He had two in the Rangers’ win at Vancouver earlier on in the season.
J.T. Miller and Marc Staal scored goals from the top line in the game against Vancouver, while captain Ryan McDonagh provided another from the blue line. Mats Zuccarello also shined in Vancouver, finding the back of the net twice.
The Rangers have won three of their last four at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Rangers extend their dominance over Vancouver with a 4-1 win.
It’s going to be a wild ride in hockey from here on out. Create a betting account now and maximize the thrill by backing your favorite teams.
