New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference First Round Game 4 – April 22, 2015
Playing in hostile territory, the New York Rangers silenced the Pittsburgh crowd with a 2-1 win in Game 3. The Rangers are now back in control of the series having won two of three thus far. But the Penguins can get quite feisty when the pressure is high, which should make for an entertaining Game 4. Stick around as we give you a breakdown of the action to come.
There’s more high-stakes playoff hockey to keep you entertained. Head over to our complete previews for the Blues vs. Wild and Ducks vs. Jets for some big time Western Conference action.
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New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 — April 16, 7:00 PM ET, Pittsburgh Penguins 1, New York Rangers 2
Game 2 — April 18, 8:00 PM ET, Pittsburgh Penguins 4, New York Rangers 3
Game 3 — April 20, 7:00 PM ET, New York Rangers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Game 4 — April 22, 7:00 PM ET, New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins – view all NHL lines
Game 5 — April 24, Time TBD, Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
Game 6* — April 26, Time TBD, New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins
Game 7 *— April 28, Time TBD, Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers
*If necessary
Betting on the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers reclaimed home ice advantage after taking Game 3 at Pittsburgh. The Rangers have now won six of their last eight trips to Pittsburgh, but they have not won more than two in a row at Consol Energy Center dating back to February 2014.
[sc:NHL240 ]The Rangers dominated the first two periods, holding a 19-11 edge on shots on goal. They then fended off a furious late charge from the Penguins who outshot them 13-7 in the final period.
Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves, allowing just one goal in the final minutes of the game. The former Vezina Trophy winner has now won four of his last five games at Pittsburgh. A shutout isn’t out of reach as well considering New York keeps up its high-pressure defense to frustrate Pittsburgh’s attack.
But New York’s offense hasn’t quite figured out Marc-Andre Fleury just yet. The Rangers have scored just two goals in each of their wins in this series thus far. That is after they netted a total of nine in their last two regular season wins against the Penguins.
New York’s top goal-scorer, Rick Nash, has just one goal on 12 shots in the series thus far. But he assisted in two of the Rangers’ goals in the series to share a team-leading three points with Dan Girardi.
Derick Brassard leads the team with two goals, but was kept off the boards in Game 3. That didn’t cool off the Rangers, though, with Carl Hagelin opening the scoring in the first and Chris Kreider netting the game-winner in the second.
The Rangers should have plenty of opportunities on the attack, after all, they have seven players with two or more points in the series thus far and a total of 12 players who have at least a point.
New York has now won five straight and nine of their last 10 games on the road.
Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins wasted a glorious opportunity to take control of the series at home. Marc-Andre Fleury stopeed 24 of 26 shots, but Pittsburgh’s offense was outplayed for the majority of the contest.
Fleury has been excellent in three games through the playoffs thus far after ending the regular season on a sour note. The Pens netminder allowed 15 goals in four games, stopping just 89 percent of shots before shutting out the Eastern Conference-worst Buffalo Sabres to end the regular season. But he has limited the Rangers, the league’s third-best offense, to just two goals in two wins in the series and has stopped 92 percent of playoff shots-against thus far.
The Penguins’ frontline hasn’t been as outstanding as their goalkeeping. The Penguins have been held to one goal in each of their two losses. Sidney Crosby, who leads the team with two goals and three points this postseason, was held pointless in Game 3. Another star forward in Evgeni Malkin has been silent. He is yet to register a point thus far in the series. He was held to no shots on goal in Game 3, and has taken a total of four shots across the first three games.
Patric Honqvist netted his first playoff goal this season late in the third period of Game 3. The Penguins have not won when trailing after two periods all season long.
The Penguins have now lost six of their last eight at Consol Energy Center.
Writer’s Prediction
New York wins a tight Game 4, 3-2. The Rangers take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Madison Square Garden. Don’t miss out on exciting playoff hockey. Create a betting account now and start your own quest toward Lord Stanley’s Cup.
