Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers NHL Picks & Predictions 1/2/2019

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Madison Square Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -145 and the Rangers at +131.

Pittsburgh has a record of 21-12-6 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 133 goals and given up 115 goals for a point differential of +18. For the season they have an ATS record of 21-18-0 and an over/under record of 17-17-0. New York is 17-14-7 this season. They are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 111 goals and surrendered 123 for a goal differential of -12. Their record against the spread is 17-21-0 while their over/under record is 19-19-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 21-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 17-17-0 against the over/under this season

Important New York Rangers Betting Trends

The New York Rangers are 17-21-0 straight up this year

The New York Rangers are 19-19-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/31/18 RW Bryan Rust Lower Body is questionable Wednesday vs NY Rangers
10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Key New York Rangers Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has accumulated 48 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 18 goals this year with 105 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 30 assists on the season and averages 20.6 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 17 goals on 107 shots. He has 29 assists, giving him a total of 46 points on the season. Matt Murray has 9 wins and 5 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 489 shots against him and he's given up 46 goals. He's made 443 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Chris Kreider has scored 31 total points this year for the Rangers. He has 20 goals this season with 107 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 19%. He has a total of 11 assists on the season and averages 17 minutes played per game. Mika Zibanejad averages 19.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 11 goals on 108 shots. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Henrik Lundqvist has 12 wins and 9 losses this year in goal for the Rangers. He has 973 shots against him and he's surrendered 82 goals. He's made 891 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 48 total points this season, which ranks them 12th in the NHL. They are 8th in the league in goals scored with 133 while they've given up 115 goals, ranking them 19th overall. They have had 109 power play opportunities and have scored 29 goals on those chances for a percentage of 27%. That is 5th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 110 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 6th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.42% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 8th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Rangers are 19th in the NHL with a total of 41 points this year. They have 23 power play goals on 111 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 14th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 122 power play opportunities and have given up 28 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%. That is 24th in the NHL. As a team, the Rangers are 23rd in the league with 111 goals scored while they've given up 123 goals, which is 11th overall. They average 28 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.34%. As a team they give up 34 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 15th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.4%, as they've attempted 2,260 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,311 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.8% as they have 1,717 attempts while they have given up 1,729 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 18th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 47.7% of the time, which is 25th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.3% for the season. That is 7th overall in the NHL. They have 1,197 face-off wins compared to 1,178 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That ranks them 13th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,145 hits and they have blocked 582 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Rangers are 28th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 47.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 52.6% for the season, which is 4th in the NHL. They have 1,052 face-off wins compared to 1,131 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.2%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense New York has 976 hits and they have blocked 614 shots from the opposition, which is 5th in the league. New York is 30th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 45% as they've attempted 1,962 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,396 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 45.2% ranks 29th as they have 1,468 attempts while they have given up 1,782 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Rangers NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take New York +131

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