In Game 1 of the best of 7 series for the second round of the Stanley Cup, the New York Rangers will take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The New York Rangers finished off a first round series win over Montreal. The Rangers finished with a 48-28-6 record, which was fourth in the Metropolitan.
The Ottawa Senators needed six games, but eliminated the Boston Bruins in the first round. The Senators finished in second in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa went 44-28-10 during the regular season. The New York Rangers come into this game as the favorite. New York is listed -113 over the Senators. Find the latest NHL betting odds here.
Here’s A Closer Look At The Rangers Vs Senators 2017 NHL Expert Picks
When: Thursday, April 27th, 2017; 6:00pm CT
Where: Canadian Tire Centre; Kanata, ON
TV: CNBC, CBC, TVAS
Stream Option: NHL.TV
Odds: New York Rangers -113
Why Bet on New York Rangers
The New York Rangers actually got a pretty good draw, despite finishing fourth in their division. The Rangers got a first round battle against Montreal, instead of Pittsburgh or Columbus. The Rangers finished with the fifth most points in the Eastern Conference. New York was also 21-16-4 in road games.
The Rangers won the Game 6; 3-1 over Montreal. The Rangers scored 3.1 goals per game during the regular season, which was 4th in the league. New York’s Mats Zuccarello led the team with 44 assists and 15 goals. New York recorded 100+ points for the third straight season, with 101 last year.
Why Bet on Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are relative unknown in the postseason. The Senators kind of came out of nowhere, after recording just 85 points last season. The Senators ranked 10th in the league defensively, as they allowed 2.6 goals per game. On the offensive end, the Senators were 22nd, with 2.5 goals per game.
Erik Karlsson was the top scorer for the Senators. Karlsson, a defenseman scored just 17 goals, but led the team with 54 assists. The Senators scored on 17% of their power play chances, and killed off 20.3% of their shorthanded chances. The Senators won the Game 6 in overtime behind a Clarke MacArthur goal.
Expert Score & Prediction
It’s the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s a great sign, and this should be a great series. The winner of this series will be the underdog in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Penguins or the Capitals. This is going to be a great series, and the best guess is it goes to 7 games.
