Three straight wins have put the Pittsburgh Penguins on the brink of returning to the Eastern Conference Finals. With the potential close-out Game 5 Friday on home ice, the Pens now have a great opportunity to put the final nail on the Rangers’ coffin.
Not one person backed the Penguins when we compiled NHL experts’ playoff predictions, but Pittsburgh is looking like a legitimate contender. To bet on the Pens, open a betting account and see if they can advance further than what the experts thought.
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New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Round 2, Game 5 Betting Preview
Game 6 (if necessary) May 11, Pittsburgh at New York
Game 7 (if necessary) May 13, New York at Pittsburgh
Betting on the New York Rangers
The extra day’s rest didn’t seem to help the worn-out Rangers much as they slumped to their third straight defeat in Game 4. On the bright side though, they did score their first goals since Game 1, which showed that their offense hasn’t completely disappeared.
[sc:NHL240 ]The same can’t be said about the Rangers’ special teams. The power play unit’s streak of futility is now up to 36 straight attempts without a goal after going 0-for-2 in Game 4. The Rangers even conceded a shorthanded goal to the Penguins that turned out to be the winning goal.
Stars Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis have a combined one point between the three of them in the series, which is unacceptable. Nash has shown signs of life with eight of the Rangers’ 30 shots on goal in the last two games, but a more concerted effort from all three is required to stave off elimination.
With the offense’s struggles, it’s time for King Henrik to steal a game. After conceding 10 goals in four games, Lundqvist needs to get even tighter, especially in Pittsburgh. The Rangers are just 2-6 in their last eight visits to Pittsburgh.
Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins
With the way the Penguins have absolutely dominated the Rangers in both ends, this series doesn’t look like it’s going past five games.
Marc-Andre Fleury conceded a couple of goals in Game 4, but after back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3, he has given up just two goals in the last three games on his way to an impressive .949 save percentage in the series.
On offense, the Pens just continue their one-sided assault on the Rangers’ goal. Pittsburgh once again outshot the Rangers’ attack in Game 4, 27-15, putting the overall shot tally in the series to 133-79 – an astounding 54-shot advantage in the Pens’ favor.
As if the Penguins needed more good news, Sidney Crosby is also finally making his mark on the series. After ending his playoff goal drought in Game 3, Crosby posted two assists in Game 4, one of which set up Evgeni Malkin’s opening goal. The Russian has recorded two or more points three times in five games.
The Penguins are undefeated in seven playoff games that end in regulation, and after three straight wins of two or more goals, Game 5 probably won’t need to go an extra period.
Writer’s Prediction
The Penguins will be hard to beat on home ice, and with Crosby and Malkin playing well at the same time, it’ll be that much more difficult. Take the Penguins to win the series-clinching Game 5 at home.
