New York Rangers - Pittsburgh Penguins predictions and free betting tips [01/04/2024]

The New York Rangers are set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins in regular NHL championship action.

New York Rangers

The Rangers managed to accumulate 104 points for the season (50-20-4), winning their last 5 matches, including an impressive 8:5 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in the latest contest. Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière are hitting career peaks, rendering significant contributions to the successful New York Rangers campaign that has landed them at the top of the NHL league table. Playing together for the majority of the season, these players have been influential - Panarin, with 44 goals and 63 assists, is ranked third in team history for points in a season, tied with Mark Messier's 1991/1992 campaign.

Besides Panarin and Lafrenière, notable contributions have been made by Vincent Trocheck with 75 points and Mika Zibanejad with 63 points. Goalie Igor Shestyorkin is maintaining a reliable gameplay with 32 wins, sporting a 2.63 average goals against per game and a 91.3% save percentage. The Rangers prove their strength in offence and defence, averaging 3.43 goals for per game while allowing 2.74, boasting a power-play efficiency of 26%. This season has been a time of strength demonstration and resilience for the New York Rangers, as evidenced by their current standings and statistics.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins, with a record of 32-30-11 and 75 points accrued, are striving to better their standings in the Eastern Conference - currently 7 points adrift of the Philadelphia Flyers, endeavouring to overcome a deficit against other competitors in the run for the playoffs. Lately, the team has faced challenging hurdles, including a setback against the Columbus Blue Jackets after yielding a 2-goal lead, which resulted in a 3:4 loss.

This match was a notable event within a series of games where they garnered points in four consecutive matches, despite an overall record of 5-6 in the last 11 games. Evgeni Malkin boasts 21 goals and 35 assists. The Penguins' goaltending situation is also facing challenges, with Tristan Jarry having a record of 19-24-5, averaging 2.90 goals against per game and a save percentage of 90.3%, and Alex Nedeljkovic posting a 12-6-6 step. This circumstance leaves Pittsburgh Penguins with a task of rallying for the remaining season's matches to improve their playoff prospects.

Head-to-Head

New York has shown exceptional form in direct confrontations, triumphant in the last 4 games with 18 goals scored against Pittsburgh. The 7:4 victory over Pittsburgh on March 17th, where Artemi Panarin scored twice, stands as especially memorable. In the most recent 9 NHL regular championship games, New York showcased 7 victories against 2 losses.

Prediction for the New York Rangers - Pittsburgh Penguins Match

The Rangers have 23 goals in their last 5 consecutive wins, making New York one of the best NHL teams at present. With Pittsburgh having slim chances for the playoffs and a rather ageing roster, their prospects are dubious.