The latest chapter in the Battle of the Hudson will begin tonight when the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers face-off in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.
The Devils edged out the Rangers for the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, which earned them home ice advantage for the opening round. Even with that being the case, oddsmakers are projecting this to be the closest series of the right that are set to take place.
Let’s dive into the odds for Tuesday night’s Game 1 and then I’ll give you my best bet.
Rangers vs. Devils odds, puck line, and total
Rangers vs. Devils prediction and pick
After taking the league by storm last season, Igor Shesterkin is a name that hasn’t been talked about enough in the 2022-2023 campaign. That’s largely due to a quiet start to his season, but over the final stretch of games, he turned back into the goaltender who carries the Rangers in last year’s postseason.
He posted a .932 save percentage in the month of March and then followed that up with a .941 save percentage in April. If he continues to stay hot into the opening round of the playoffs, the Devils have a tall order in front of them.
The Rangers also have one thing the Devils don’t; experience. New York has been through a handful of postseason runs over the past few years and now the roster is filled with guys who know what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, nobody expected New Jersey to be good this season. They are a young team that has a bright future, but are performing ahead of where they were expected to. That could lead to some playoff hiccups as they get used to playing postseason hockey.
I think the Rangers get off to a fast start tonight and pull off a Game 1 upset.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.