Pinnacle -½ +213 BET365 -½ +200 SportsInteraction N/A 5DIMES -½ +205 Bookmaker -½ +208

Posted at 5:00 PM EST. 

New Jersey -½ +213 over N.Y. RANGERS

7:05 PM EST. The beautiful thing about betting the NHL, or any sport for that matter early in the year is that we get some serious recency bias working in our favor. Such is the case with the New York Rangers, who dropped a 4-0 opener to the Isles but completely flipped the script the next night, returning the shutout and dominating the Islanders in all facets of the game, winning by a score of 5-0. The question is were the Rangers really that good or were the Islanders extremely flat. Regardless, the Rangers win was a resounding one and the narrative is that the team we saw on Saturday is what the Rangers can be. Maybe so, but what we saw in the 4-0 loss is also what the Rags can be. In other words, the Rangers are a live underdog and a risky favorite. 

Why are the Rags a risky favorite? Team defense. It’s very hard to be the worst defensive team in the NHL and win more games than you lose. One might argue that the Rangers did it last year, but we would counter by saying they weren’t quite the worst last year, they weren’t quite in a playoff spot when the season was shutdown, they got swept in the play-ins, and most importantly they got a lot worse when they lost Jesper Fast and added Jack Johnson. And that is despite the fact that they had incredibly fortunate seasons from Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad that neither player is likely to replicate going forward. Don’t get us wrong, as we like the Rangers offensive upside and goaltending but they’re very worthy of fading, especially when the opposition’s goaltender is hot. 

Of course, it’s early but Mackenzie Blackwood’s outstanding metrics after two games ranks second among all goaltenders that have played two games or more. That’s a tiny sample size but it’s not like this is Blackwood’s first rodeo. He was very good last year when given the opportunity to be the team’s #1 goaltender. The Devils also picked up three out of a possible four points against the Bruins to open the season. The Devils don’t have a sexy roster but they’re young, they’re hungry and talented and they’re not easy to play against. The Devils passed the test versus Boston and regardless of anything else, that has to be a great feeling to start the year. as the B's are among the best in the business. Of course NJ can win here.

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