NHL Hockey Betting: Anaheim Ducks at New York Rangers
The Anaheim Ducks are trying to gain some separation from the surging Edmonton Oilers and run down the Pacific Division leading San Jose Sharks. They’ll face a tough challenge on Tuesday night as they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the enigmatic New York Rangers. Anaheim and Edmonton are tied for second place in the Pacific Division with 66 points. Edmonton has gone 6-3-1 in their last ten games while the Ducks are just 5-3-2 in their last ten and have lost two straight. The two second place teams are three points back of the San Jose Sharks who have been playing very well of late with a 8-1-1 record in their last ten games. They’ve got 69 points which has them tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the second best record in the Western Conference.
The Rangers are in a tough spot. They’re just 5-5 in their last ten games which just isn’t going to get it done in the Metropolitan Division this season. Washington is starting to resemble the unstoppable freight train they were during the regular season last year and have the best record in hockey at 36-11-6 for 78 points. The Caps are 7-2-1 in their last ten and have won three straight. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins are tied for second place with 71 points and the Rangers are in third with 67 points. They’re 8 points up on the Philadelphia Flyers and 11 points up on the cross town rival New York Islanders. The Islanders could end up being the bigger issue as they’re 7-1-2 in their last ten games.
Thankfully for the Rangers it appears that Henrik Lundqvist has returned to form after a rough stretch of games. He’ll face Anaheim’s John Gibson who has played well this year with a 20-12-8 record, a 2.27 goals against average and a 0.921 save percentage. The Rangers have been very effective in non-conference games this season but overall we’re just not impressed with this New York team. Anaheim is a talented, physical team that looks to be undervalued in this matchup. New York’s record at MSG isn’t much (15-11-1) and no interest in laying a chalk price with a team that doesn’t dominate at home.
BET ANAHEIM DUCKS +120 OVER NEW YORK RANGERS
