Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers clash at Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference tilt. The match gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 23, and you’ll be able to see it live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers Odds
The money line for either side is currently set at an identical -110. The Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals and initially opened at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. That line has since shifted however, and it now sits at -125 for the over and +105 for the under.
The Rangers are 2-6 straight up (SU) and have lost 3.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during last year’s regular season (34-48). Six of its eight matches have gone under the total, while two have gone over and none have pushed. This year, the team’s 2-3 SU at home.
New York has successfully found the net on 20.8 percent of its power play opportunities in 2018-19. That mark hasn’t moved a lot from last season, when it was ranked 12th in the league by scoring on 21.2 percent of its extra-man chances. Its penalty kill has fallen off significantly year-over-year as the team’s gone from successfully defending 81.4 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked eighth overall last season) to 72.0 percent this year.
New York, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties 4.4 times per game this season, a number that has climbed some from last year’s 3.5 penalties per game the team surrendered. After serving an average of 8.0 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.5 minutes per outing this season.
Boasting a .921 save percentage and 29.9 saves per game, Henrik Lundqvist (2-5-1) has been the top goalkeeper for the Rangers this season. If head coach David Quinn decides to give him a breather, however, the team might turn to Alexandar Georgiev (0-1-1 record, .821 save percentage, 7.19 goals against average).
The Broadway Blueshirts will continue to look for offensive production from Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider. Zuccarello has recorded six assists while Kreider has four goals and two assists to his name so far in the early stages of the season.
Florida is 1-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through six regular season matches, four of its games have gone over the total, while two have gone under the total and none have pushed. Florida’s 1-2 SU as an away team this season.
Florida’s recorded a goal on 11.1 percent of its power play chances this year after successfully converting on 18.9 percent of its extra-man opportunities last season (a percentage that was just below league average). The team has gone from successfully defending 80.3 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 15th overall last season) to 66.7 percent this year.
Florida’s players have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.1, which was the sixth-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 11.0 penalty minutes per game a year ago (second-most in the league), the team’s had to kill penalties for just 8.3 minutes per outing this season.
James Reimer (.867 save percentage and 4.27 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Florida. Reimer is averaging 21.3 saves per game and has one win, three losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
Keith Yandle (one goal, six assists) has been one of the top playmaking threats for the visiting Panthers.
Florida Panthers at New York Rangers Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in four of New York’s last five games.
The Rangers are 1-3 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Panthers are 0-1 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
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