The New York Rangers sent a statement to the Metropolitan Division with a resounding 5-2 victory over rivals the Washington Capitals. They not take the road in a visit to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are in quite a pinch after a 4-2 loss on the road to Arizona. But a return home could have them ready to take on one of the East’s power house teams.
There’s plenty more hockey action to come. Check out our complete previews for the Blackhawks vs. Devils and Bruins vs. Canadiens.
[sc:NHLArticles ]New York Rangers vs. Colorado Avalanche Preview
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver
When: Friday, November 6, 9:00 PM ET
Line: New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche – view all NHL lines
Betting on the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers made a statement against the Washington Capitals. Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes, Kevin Klein, Derick Brassard and Jarret Stoll all scored in a 5-2 blowout at home on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was his usual solid self in stopping 32 of 34 shots he faced against one of the league’s best offenses.
[sc:NHL240 ]The Rangers did it too without leading goal-scorer Mats Zuccarello (seven) finding the back of the net, though he did assist in Brassard’s goal. Brassard leads the Rangers in points (10) with four goals and six assists. It’s going to be a tough out facing the Rangers and their speed; they had three players (Lindberg, Hayes and Klein) with more than one point in the win against Washington.
New York is also benefitting a lot from defenseman Keith Yandle, who’s tied with Brassard for a team-high six assists. Having plenty of playmakers should help the Rangers exploit a vulnerable Colorado defense which allows 3.08 goals per game, 25th in the league.
Having another high-scoring game should already help the Rangers. Another solid performance from Lundqvist between the pipes could have New York in another blow up win. Lundqvist is 6-2-2 with a solid 1.88 GAA and .943 save percentage this season. But he’s been pretty vulnerable against the Avs, going 2-3-3 with a 2.48 GAA in eight career matchups.
The Rangers have won four of their last six on the road.
Betting on the Colorado Avalanche
So far, so bad for the Colorado Avalanche, who have dropped seven of their last nine games. Their latest setback was a 4-2 loss against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night. Starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov allowed three goals on 27 shots against the Coyotes. Meanwhile, Cody McLeod and Matt Duchene kept the Avs in the game, until an empty netter by Arizona ended their comeback bid.
A return home could prove useful for Colorado, especially facing the New York Rangers. Leading goal-scorer Jarome Iginla has been a bright spot for the Avs against the Rangers. He’s scored 24 points (14 goals and 10 assists) in 25 career games against New York.
The 20-year veteran should have plenty of help from some young blood in Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. MacKinnon has three points in four career games against the Rangers, while Landeskog has three goals in three games. The duo each has five goals to rank second in the team this year. Of the two, MacKinnon leads the team with nine assists and 14 points.
MacKinnon would be better served to deliver the puck to his savvy veteran teammate in Iginla, while Landeskog also serves as a solid option. Scoring is just one thing, though. If the Avs are to get a win over the Rangers, they’ll need goalie Varlamov to step up after going 3-6-1 with a 3.26 GAA in 10 starts this season. Varlamov is 4-3 against the Rangers in his career, but has a big 3.51 GAA against them.
The total has gone over in Colorado’s last three games.
Writer’s Prediction
Both teams find the back of the net on multiple occasions. Take the total to go over as the Rangers get the win in a high-scoring affair. Create a betting account now and win big on each game in the NHL.
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