Rangers vs Pittsburgh: New York team to take the first step towards Stanley Cup

On April 4, New York City will host Pittsburgh in the first game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in the regular Stanley Cup, when the local Rangers take on Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.

The regular season ended pretty well for the Rangers. For only the second time in the last five years, the New York team could make the playoffs. The experienced coach instilled discipline and taught the players to defend, which paid off. Only when they had already solved all their issues, they allowed a 3-game losing streak at the end of the regular season. However, they defeated Washington 3-2 in their last game and took a final fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Pittsburgh had another very difficult regular season, which had to start without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, recovering from surgery. For this reason, the Penguins were among the league's outsiders for a while, but they gradually managed to rectify the situation. The Pennsylvanians managed to make the playoffs without too much trouble, which can already be considered a local success, but they can't be considered the tournament's favorites now. Mike Sullivan's men have managed only five wins and eight losses in the last 13 meetings, leaving them seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

• The Rangers have won only one match out of the last four;
• Pittsburgh have won only one of their last six away games;
• The Rangers beat Pittsburgh in the last three consecutive head-to-head meetings;
• Pittsburgh have beaten the Rangers in five of the seven series in NHL history.

Only seven points separated the Rangers and Pittsburgh at the end of the regular season, but the New York team has looked significantly more potent than the Penguins this season. While the Rangers continue to make steady progress, the Pennsylvanians, in contrast, have shown signs of regression. Moreover, Gerard Galland's charges won the last three head-to-head encounters, so it's worth betting on the Rangers' victory in this match for 1.73.

It's unlikely that we can expect a goal-scoring extravaganza in this upcoming encounter. The fact is that the Rangers and Pittsburgh were among the top five teams in the NHL in terms of defensive solidity during the regular season. In 82 meetings, the Rangers allowed just 204 goals (2.49 average per game), while the Penguins have 222 goals on the road (2.71 average per game). The opponents have only netted 15 pucks (3.75 per game average) in their last four ties, so Total Under 5.5 pucks for 1.81 would be a good bet.

Artemi Panarin was injured at the end of the regular season, so there's no telling what condition he'll be in before the playoffs. For that reason, another Rangers' leader, Mika Zibanejad, deserves special attention. He had a decent start to the regular season with 81 points (29 goals + 52 assists), and he was particularly productive against Pittsburgh. In the three previous meetings with the Penguins, the Swede scored six assists, so the bet on Mika Zibanejad's Total Over 0.5 points for 1.62 may be worth considering now.

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