A week ago, the New York Rangers were in a crisis. Three games later, all is well on Broadway, and the Blueshirts are sitting in a playoff spot as they return home for a two-game homestand.
But as quickly as things can trend up for a team in the NHL, they can also fall apart. And things won’t be easy for the Rangers over the next few weeks as they’ve got games against the Devils, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Islanders, Capitals, and Lightning to sort out before the end of the month.
The Rangers are a slight home underdog against the Devils on Monday night, which will start at 7 pm ET on Monday while being broadcast on the NHL Network.
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Devils vs. Rangers prediction
Hockey is a funky sport. For most of this season, the Rangers were putting up solid 5-on-5 numbers but weren’t getting consistent results. It was a stark contrast to what we saw in 2021-22 when the Blueshirts were winning games despite getting out-chanced on a nightly basis.
And wouldn’t you know, during this current three-game winning streak, the Rangers are having trouble pushing play in the right direction at 5-on-5. Despite winning all three contests against the Blues, Avalanche and Golden Knights, the Blueshirts have skated to a 44.7% shot attempt rate, 40.6% expected goals rate, and a 38.6% high-danger chance rate.
Three games is a very small sample, but these numbers are part of a bigger trend that’s been emerging for the Blueshirts. Over their last 10 games, the Rangers have posted a 47.5% expected goals rate and 47.3% high-danger scoring chance rate, which is well below where they were through the first six weeks of the season.
Betting on the NHL?
That’s not great news for Monday night when the Rangers will take on the Devils, who pace the NHL with a +31 goal differential and +23 expected goal differential at 5-on-5 this season.
The Devils are coming off a loss on Friday night to the Islanders and their 5-on-5 metrics aren’t at the lofty heights they were a few weeks ago, but they’re still quite impressive. New Jersey has posted a 54.4% expected goals rate and 55.1% high-danger scoring chance rate over its last 10 games.
The Rangers have seemingly stabilized after a rough patch, but the market seems to be overreacting just a tad considering their 5-on-5 numbers are continuing to trend in the wrong direction. The results are masking some issues with the Blueshirts’ form and the Devils should be able to tilt the ice in the right direction enough to make up for a goaltending mismatch on Monday night.
Rangers vs. Devils pick
Devils -111 (FanDuel)
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