The Rangers' trade for J.T. shows this team is ready to make a mid-season push, and they'll be fully prepared to deal with the shaky Bruins.
NHL
It’s the perfect Saturday for an Original Six matinee.
The New York Rangers made some headlines last night as they traded for Canucks star forward J.T. Miller, who is expected to play today. He’ll give New York a different look, and my Rangers vs. Bruins predictions expect him to help secure two points for the Blueshirts.
Find out why in my NHL picks for February 1.
My best bet
Rangers moneyline (-115 at FanDuel)
My analysis
The Boston Bruins have had a very rocky season and are coming into today’s matchup as losers of two straight games. Boston is 2-3-0 in its last five games and it has had a hard time in the offensive production department.
In those five games, it has been outscored 19-10 and is only averaging 2.00 goals per game. One of the Bruins’ biggest issues this season has been their power play, which is currently ranked 30th in the league.
One of the New York Rangers’ strengths is their penalty kill, which ranks fourth best in the NHL at 83.7%. The Rangers have only allowed one power-play goal (12 attempts) over their last six games.
The Blueshirts have been playing much better hockey as of late, as they are 8-3-3 in their last 14 games. They’ve been getting production from their top guys like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere during this stretch, and Igor Shesterkin has been phenomenal in goal.
Through his nine starts in January, Shesterkin skated to a 6-2-1 record with a .921 SV% and a 2.07 GAA. These numbers are since January 2; as a team during that stretch, the Rangers have allowed 2.79 goals against per game, and their penalty kill has skated to an 80% success rate.
This latest stretch has not been kind to the Bruins, who have gone 5-7-2 in their last 14 games. Defensively, they have allowed 13 goals in their last two games combined, and Jeremy Swayman has gone 3-6-1 in his last 10 starts. In those 10 games, Swayman has a .904 SV% and a 3.39 GAA.
The recent trends for both teams favor the Rangers, and J.T. Miller’s arrival will give them an extra spark.
Rangers moneyline
Over 5.5
Artemi Panarin to have 3+ shots on goal
The Boston Bruins haven’t done a great job keeping the puck out of their net, but despite being shut out in their most recent game, the Rangers offense has been clicking over the past month.
The line of Panarin, Trocheck and Lafreniere has been generating plenty of chances, they should be able to again this afternoon.
Artemi Panarin has had 3+ shots on goal in three of his last five games and is averaging 3.06 shots on goal per game this season. He was held off the scoresheet in the team’s most recent game, so he should be a little hungrier offensively today.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
The Rangers have won four straight meetings against the Bruins. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Bruins.
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Jonny Lazarus has loved hockey for as long as he can remember. After his Division I playing career at UMass-Amherst and Mercyhurst University came to an end in 2020, he transitioned from being a player to working in the media. He might be young in his career, but he has made appearances in numerous places like the NHL, and Bleacher Report, and this season he will be doing color commentary for a selection of UMass-Amherst hockey games.
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