The NHL action continues with an eight-game slate on Friday, January 27, so make sure you take a look at the best Golden Knights vs. Rangers betting pick and odds.
New York will open a four-game homestay when they welcome Vegas at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are -161 moneyline favorites on BetRivers NY Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6 goals. These inter-conference rivals have met once this season, and the Rangers won 5-1 in Las Vegas.
Golden Knights fell short of the Devils in OT
The Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-2-1, 23-26 ATS) opened their six-game road trip with a couple of losses against the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils. After losing 4-1 to Arizona, the Golden Knights were close to getting a W against New Jersey but fell short of the Devils in overtime. Vegas had a 2-1 lead until the final 1:10 of the tilt when New Jersey’s hero, Dougie Hamilton, forced OT and then scored a winner for the Devils. Despite losing five of the last six games, the Golden Knights are still in the playoff picture as they are 4th in the West with 61 points, four behind the leaders Dallas Stars.
Ben Hutton and William Karlsson scored for the Knights, while goaltender Logan Thompson registered 33 saves as he displayed a solid performance. This year, Chandler Stephenson leads Vegas with 43 points (G 11, A 32), while Mark Stone is following him with 38 points (G 17, A 21).
Logan Thompson (19-13-2) is expected to start at the goal for Vegas against the Rangers on Friday. The 25-year-old is conceding 2.71 goals per game this season with a .912 SV% and two shutouts.
G Robin Lehner (hip), RW Mark Stone (upper body), LW William Carrier (upper body), and C Nolan Patrick (upper body) are out indefinitely. D Shea Theodore (lower body) is questionable to face the Rangers on Friday.
Rangers lost the edge against the Maple Leafs in Toronto
The New York Rangers (26-14-6-2, 23-25 ATS) just like the Golden Knights, lost their most recent game 3-2 in overtime. The Rangers visited the Toronto Maple Leafs and took an OT defeat, after which they returned to New York, where they will play the next four games, starting with Vegas on Friday. The Rangers now have 60 points, 20 behind the Eastern Conference leaders Boston Bruins.
Filip Chytil bagged a pair of quick goals in the second period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead, but the Leafs equalized with four minutes remaining and then scored a game-winning goal through Mitchell Marner, who made it 3-2 for Toronto. Thus far in this campaign, Artemi Panarin is New York’s top producer with 50 points (G 12, A 38). Mika Zibanejad is right behind with 49 points (G 22, A 28) and Adam Fox contributed 48 (G 10, A 38).
Igor Shesterkin (21-8-7) is a probable goalie for the Rangers against the Golden Knights on Friday. The 27-year-old is allowing 2.46 goals per contest this year along with a .918 SV% and one shutout.
RW Julien Gauthier (upper body) is out indefinitely and will not feature on Friday against the Golden Knights.
Trends:
Vegas:
1-5 in the last six overall
1-4 in the last five road games
New York:
15-7 in the last 22 overall
8-3 in the last 11 home games
6-0 in the last six vs. Western Conference rivals
Vegas Golden Knights vs. New York Rangers Pick
The fact is that the Golden Knights are going through their worst period of the season and are struggling offensively. Vegas scored more than three goals just once in the last six games and given the visitors are facing Igor Shesterkin and a solid Rangers defense, I doubt they will be highly efficient on Friday as well. While both offenses are pretty close in terms of scoring goals on average, New York’s defense is a bit stronger, and I think that’s going to prevail. The Rangers conceded more than three goals only once in the last 11 games.
Pick: Take the Rangers to win (-161)
The Total
The combination of Vegas’ offensive struggles and New York’s strong defense is enough for me not to expect a high-scoring affair on Friday. Shesterkin allowed more than three goals just once in his last 17 starts, so there is a little chance the Golden Knights are going to dismantle him in this one. Under is 4-1 in the Golden Knights’ last five overall; Under is 6-0 in Vegas’ previous six road games, while Under is 5-1 in the Rangers’ last six overall.
Pick: Go Under 6 goals (-115)
