Henrik Lundqvist has been a liability for the New York Rangers so far this series. Photo by Anna Enriquez (Flickr).
- The Carolina Hurricanes lead the New York Rangers 2-0 in their qualifying series
- Henrik Lundqvist has been starting with Igor Shesterkin out. Lundqvist has a paltry .901 save percentage this series and has allowed early goals in both games
- Read our preview and best bet for today’s Game 3 here
The Carolina Hurricanes have built a 2-0 series lead on the New York Rangers and can put them to bed on Tuesday. It would be a fast exit for a young Rangers team that many thought might be a sleeper in the postseason. Is Carolina the play on Tuesday or will the Rangers finally get on the board?
Hurricanes vs Rangers Odds
| Team | Puck Line at FanDuel | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | -1.5 (+190) | -150 | O 5.5 (+110) |
| New York Rangers | +1.5 (-230) | +125 | U 5.5 (-130) |
Odds taken Aug. 3rd
Will Shesterkin Play?
The Rangers season turned on a dime when the team benched veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for 24-year-old Igor Shesterkin. The team immediately started to play better, which explains why Lundqvist finished the regular season 10-12-3 with a 3.16 GAA and .905 save percentage while Shesterkin was 10-2-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
While many people thought the Rangers could be a postseason sleeper, the thinking was that Shesterkin was fine to play. However, bettors have been surprised as the young netminder has missed the first two games of the series and Lundqvist has been forced to start instead.
Not surprisingly, Lundqvist has labored, giving up seven goals in two games while posting a .901 save percentage. The team just doesn’t have a ton of confidence in him. The question is what is Shesterkin’s status? He was deemed unfit to play in Game 1 and then practiced before Game 2 but still didn’t play.
If Lundqvist is in net again, the Rangers appear to be cooked. If you’re thinking about betting the Rangers, you have to keep a close eye on this situation. Don’t be surprised if the Rangers go to Alexandar Georgiev if Shesterkin can’t go.
Rangers Get Lemieux Back, Fast a Question Mark
A couple of other personnel updates to note is that the Rangers will get Brendan Lemieux back after his two-game suspension. He’s not a huge asset but did have 18 points in 59 games this season. As for Jesper Fast, he was knocked out early in Game 1, missed Game 2 and is a question mark for Game 3. He had 29 points in 69 games.
Rangers Offense Is Struggling
While it’s true that the Rangers have been punched in the gut early in both games – they’ve given up early goals and been forced to play from behind – but the offense really hasn’t done much. They’ve scored three goals in total so far and two of them have been on special teams. They’re getting outplayed at even strength.
The Rangers have been outshot by 21 through two games and have lost the faceoff battle by nine. They really need to do a better job in these categories while doing more in five-on-five if they want to win Game 3.
What’s the Best Bet?
For Game 3, I’m simply looking at the goaltending. If we’re going to see Lundqvist again, the Hurricanes are the bet. They’re playing really well right now at both ends of the ice and nothing will change if Lundqvist is back between the pipes.
If we’re looking at Shesterkin, I’d lean more to the ‘Under’ in this spot. The Hurricanes vs Rangers odds here show a total of 5.5 but the Rangers aren’t scoring much these days and the Hurricanes have scored at least three goals each contest. I’d expect a lower-scoring affair if Shesterkin is healthy enough to play.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He’s interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O’Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/hurricanes-vs-rangers-betting-odds/
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