New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Preview: Shesterkin, Rangers the pick in six

The New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins begin their Stanley Cup Playoff journey on Tuesday night.

The Rangers posted a 52-24-6 record, which was good enough for 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins finished at 46-25-11 and had just enough left in the tank to sneak into 3rd place in the division.

The two teams met four times during the regular season. The Rangers were able to bank three victories in those four contests.

New York will have home ice advantage against Pittsburgh. Madison Square Garden has been kind to the Rangers this year, as they have put up a home record of 27-10-4.

New York Rangers (Metropolitan Division #2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Metropolitan Division #3) Series Information and Betting Odds

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Schedule, Game Times, and TV Info

• Rangers vs. Penguins (Game 1 – at Madison Square Garden, New York): Tuesday, May 3, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Rangers vs. Penguins (Game 2 – at Madison Square Garden, New York): Thursday, May 5, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
• Penguins vs. Rangers (Game 3 – at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh): Saturday, May 7, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
• Penguins vs. Rangers (Game 4 – at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh): Monday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Rangers vs. Penguins (Game 5 – at Madison Square Garden, New York): Wednesday, May 11, time and TV TBD – if necessary
• Penguins vs. Rangers (Game 6 – at PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh): Friday, May 13, time and TV TBD – if necessary
• Rangers vs. Penguins (Game 7 – at Madison Square Garden, New York): Sunday, May 15, time and TV TBD – if necessary

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Betting Odds

Odds are via BetOnline.

Odds to win the Series

• New York Rangers -115
• Pittsburgh Penguins -104

Series Correct Score Odds

• Rangers 4-0 (+1200)
• Rangers 4-1 (+540)
• Rangers 4-2 (+520)
• Rangers 4-3 (+430)
• Penguins 4-0 (+1200)
• Penguins 4-1 (+710)
• Penguins 4-2 (+440)
• Penguins 4-3 (+520)

Series Total Games Odds

• Four Games: +580
• Five Games: +270
• Six Games: +194
• Seven Games: +194

Rangers vs. Penguins 2021-22 Season Head-to-Head Results

• February 26, 2022 (at Pittsburgh): Penguins 1, Rangers 0
• March 25, 2022 (at New York): Rangers 5, Penguins 1
• March 29, 2022 (at Pittsburgh): Rangers 3, Penguins 2
• April 7, 2022 (at New York): Rangers 3, Penguins 0

Rangers Looking to Jump Out in Front Early

Pittsburgh’s starting goaltender, Tristan Jarry, suffered a broken foot in the regular season, and he will not be available for at least two games in Round 1. Instead, backup Casey DeSmith will be between the pipes for the Pens.

DeSmith had a record of 11-6-5 during the regular season, posting a 2.79 goals against average. He did manage 3 shutouts in his 24 starts this year. In comparison, Jarry has a 34-18-6 record, 4 shutouts, and a goals against average at 2.42.

The Rangers are healthy at the goaltender position, and will have Igor Shesterkin in net during their first round series. His goals against average is impressive, sitting at just 2.07. He has 6 shutouts to his name this year as well.

The Penguins have more playoff experience, but with the injury to Jarry, I see an opportunity for the Rangers. New York will use the injury to their advantage and jump on DeSmith early in Games 1 and 2.

The Rangers will use the 4th best power play in the league to inflict serious damage to the Penguins’ defensive forces. If the Penguins start to rack up penalties, it will be a long series for them.

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Prediction and Betting Tips

Prediction: Rangers win the series 4-2

The two teams are fairly even when both starting goalies are healthy. However, this is not the case for, at least, the first two games of the series. I see the Rangers playing well at home and winning the first two games of the series.

The lines are extremely close for this series. However, with the Rangers still showing great value at -115 at BetOnline, I see it as a no-brainer to take them on the moneyline.

Other options still post great value. Pittsburgh will put up at least a win or two in the series, so total games will be north of 4. Five games posts the best value at +270, but I see the series going 6 which is listed at +194.

Other 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Content on Betting News

• Odds to Win the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals
• 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket & Matchups
• Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Series Preview, Odds & Predictions
• St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild Series Preview, Odds & Prediction
• Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins Series Preview, Odds & Prediction
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Series Preview, Odds & Prediction
• Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars Series Preview, Odds & Prediction

if(window.strchfSettings === undefined) window.strchfSettings = {};window.strchfSettings.stats = {url: “https://betting-news.storychief.io/en/new-york-rangers-vs-pittsburgh-penguins-2022-playoffs-series-preview-schedule-odds-picks?id=1927431375&type=2”,title: “New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Preview: Shesterkin, Rangers the pick in six”,id: “4af471aa-0a59-40f0-a023-eeb51e59464b”};(function(d, s, id) {var js, sjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) {window.strchf.update(); return;}js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;js.src = “https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/scripts/v0/strchf.js”;js.async = true;sjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, sjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘storychief-jssdk’))