NHL Best Bets: Rangers vs. Canadiens Game Picks

Two Original Six hockey teams are set to take the ice for a Thursday night tilt, with the Montreal Canadiens hosting the New York Rangers from the Bell Centre.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

There’s been a lot to like about the Rangers, especially when you factor in some of the trade deadline additions they made to bolster their chances at playoff success. They’re coming off playing in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and they have a solid opportunity to acquire two points tonight when they visit the Habs. New York is listed as -275 road favorites on the moneyline, while the Canadiens are priced at +220. This will be the third and final meeting between these clubs, which has seen the Habs pick up a 2-1 victory, and the Rangers nab a 4-1 win of their own. 

The Rangers enter this matchup struggling, but this is a great bounce-back spot against Montreal. New York has posted a 4-5-1 record over their past ten games, while the Habs sit at 3-6-1 over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, New York is expected to continue riding Igor Shesterkin, while the Canadiens should do the same with Jake Allen. The Rangers netminder has continued to post strong numbers, owning a 27-11-7 record, paired with a .909 save percentage. It hasn’t been a great stretch lately, but this is a good matchup for changing that. Allen is sitting at 14-20-3, along with a .898 save percentage. 

Even amidst some recent struggles for the Rangers, it’s hard to have a lot of faith in what this depleted Montreal Canadiens lineup is offering. Sure, they’re playing hard, but the Rangers are the much more talented team and need the points to keep pace in the Metropolitan division. With that, targeting the visitors on the puck line has some value here at -111. 

Best Bet: Rangers Puck Line -1.5 (-111) 

The first two matchups in this season series have been low scoring, with goal totals of five and three, respectively. The total for this matchup is set at 6.5, with the over priced at -105, while the under sits at -115. The Rangers sit in the league’s top half in goals scored and allowed per game, while the Habs sit in the bottom third of the league in both categories. Over the Rangers’ past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals scored in three, while the Habs have seen that transpire in two contests. With the recent trends they’ve shown us and the two earlier matchups they’ve played in, siding with the under 6.5 has some value at -115. 

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-115) 

The Rangers are trying to get some chemistry going offensively, and this is a great matchup to do so against the lowly Montreal Canadiens. Multiple players on New York warrant targeting here tonight, but the one sticking out is Mika Zibanejad. The Swedish star forward has had another dynamic season, tallying 32 goals in 63 games. In an extremely juice matchup tonight against a Canadiens team that struggles to keep pucks out of their net, targeting Zibanejad to score has a great value price tag of +150. 

Best Prop: Mika Zibanejad to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+150) 

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