Face-off: 1930 ET, 27/02/2022
Arena: Madison Square Garden
New York Rangers and Vancouver have both been in fine form of late and a close encounter looks on the cards at Madison Square Garden.
That was the case when these teams met in Canada at the start of November, with the Canucks just shading a 3-2 victory in overtime.
We reckon 4.2 for another draw after 60 minutes of play is the way to go with the first of our New York Rangers vs Vancouver Canucks predictions.
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New York Rangers Odds
New York Rangers were edged out 1-0 at Pittsburgh last night but had won five of their previous six games, only losing a shootout in the other.
Gerard Gallant’s side are still on course to qualify for the playoffs, lying third in the Metropolitan Division.
Tristan Jarry made 27 saves to help the Penguins prevail but Gallant was far from downbeat about his team’s performance.
He commented: “I thought it was a hard-working game for both teams and great goaltending, obviously, by both teams.
“It’s a good hockey game. It’s too bad one goal decided it. The longer the game went 0-0, it felt like a playoff battle, for sure.”
Getting back to the Big Apple will be a boost, as the Rangers are 17-4-3 at MSG this term.
They have only conceded 10 goals in seven outings, although the excellent Igor Shesterkin may be rested here and Alexandar Georgiev brought in.
Even so, we like 11.0 for a 3-2 home victory from the NHL odds, with overtime and penalties included if required.
Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver are 5-2-0 since the All-Star break after ending Calgary’s 10-match winning run with a spectacular 7-1 success at Rogers Arena.
JT Miller scored two goals and had two assists against the Flames, while Thatcher Demko made some important saves early on to set the tone.
“We just set a standard for ourselves for the rest of the year,” declared Miller.
“Not by winning by six goals, but playing the right way, being sharp on the special teams, being ready to start the game.
“We have a standard. We need to play to that from here on out. We shouldn’t be satisfied with anything other than that.”
The Canucks have similar records at home and on the road, so we can expect them to be competitive again here.
The stats suggest this match should certainly be tight early on, as these teams are ranked 24th and 27th when it comes to scoring in the first period.
That makes 1.9 for under two goals in the opening section a percentage pick for our New York Rangers vs Vancouver Canucks predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
Pittsburgh 1-0 NEW YORK RANGERS
VANCOUVER 7-1 Calgary
Season head-to-head: Vancouver 3-2 NY Rangers
