The Carolina Hurricanes aim to take a commanding series lead heading into Game 4. They fell short in Game 3, dropping a 3-1 decision to the New York Rangers. The Rangers registered more than one goal for the first time this series, and hope to even things up in front of their home crowd. This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
Carolina Hurricanes (-105) vs New York Rangers (-115)
CAR: 6-4, 2.90 GF/GP, 2.40 GA/GP
NYR: 5-5, 3.20 GF/GP, 3.40 GA/GP
The Hurricanes enter Game 4 as slight favourites, but the gap is narrowing steadily. The Rangers are back in the series after receiving big goals from likely sources in Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. The two combined for no points in the first two games, and the team itself registered just one goal. Igor Shesterkin was in fine form in Game 3, steadying the storm and stopping 43 of 44 shots. His .977 save percentage is the single-highest amount recorded during his postseason thus far.
After looking almost unstoppable in Games 1 and 2, the Hurricanes’ offense was snuffed out by good goaltending and excellent puck management in high-danger areas. The Hurricanes got their looks, with Vincent Trocheck and Andrei Svechnikov combining for 10 shots on goal but failed to get second and third chances. Despite nearly equalling their shot total from the last two games combined, the Hurricanes couldn’t find a way to figure out Shesterkin.
Point Spread
New York – Win By More Than 1 Goal (-1.5, +225)
The Rangers enter Game 3 with all of the momentum on their side after a heated battle. They gave up the shot advantage but took over the game physically and defensively. One area they can stand to improve upon is in the faceoff circle after losing the battle in Game 3. Taking over in that department will lead to more puck possession in the long run by limiting the Hurricanes’ ability to fire an excess of shots on Shesterkin.
In front of their home crowd, the Rangers are nearly unstoppable. The fans in Madison Square Garden are unforgivingly loud and feed their team the energy they need. The return for a victory of multiple goals is very promising and should be one to target if you have some spare change. The Rangers are in a good position to even up the series and turn this one into a best-of-three.
Total Points
Total Goals Scored – Under 5.5 (-145)
Strictly sticking with the under for total goals scored, as the Hurricanes and Rangers continue to play a more defensive approach. Sure, Game 3 saw an excess of 77 shots combined, but both goaltenders were up to the task. Shesterkin and Antti Raanta have not been the problem for their respective teams thus far, and that’s a trend that is likely to continue. Each team’s stars are finding it difficult to see the scoresheet, and their bottom-six players have been getting the job done with some greasy goals.
Historically, these two teams keep it very close when playing each other. They boast similar qualities in terms of offensive star power, a strong defensive core, and capable goaltending. The Rangers will come out flying, looking to find some offense early, while the Hurricanes will attempt to weather the storm and capitalize on any mistakes made. Expect another low-scoring affair of under five goals tonight.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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