Trent Reinsmith
- What: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. NY Rangers
- Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
- Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, MSG, ATTSN-PT
An Eastern Conference matchup between Metropolitan Division foes goes down tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York City when the Pittsburgh Penguins face the NY Rangers for the third time of the 2023 NHL season.
The Rangers enter tonight’s game with an 18-11-4 home record. Overall, the team is 5-4-1 in its past 10 outings. New York is coming off a 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. In the game before that, the Penguins defeated the Rangers in OT 3-2. The Rangers are 38-19-10 on the season and look safe as the No. 3 team in the Metropolitan Division, where they trail the Devils by eight points and the Hurricanes by 10 points.
The Penguins are not safe as for as the 2023 NHL playoffs are concerned. The team (34-23-10) is currently two points ahead of the Islanders for the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins are a 15-13-5 road team this year and are on a 7-2-1 run heading into tonight’s game. They are coming off a 6-4 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Before we consider the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NY Rangers, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. NY Rangers picks – March 16, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +120 | +120 | +120 |
| NY Rangers | -133 | -140 | -140 |
Pittsburgh Penguins breakdown
It appears as if the Pittsburgh Penguins are getting things together at the right time of the 2023 NHL season. If the Pens can keep playing as they have been over their past 10 games they will make the playoffs and because of their experience, be a postseason problem.
Evgeni Malkin is dishing assists like crazy as of late, racking up eight in the Penguins’ last five games. He leads the team in points over that stretch with nine. As for season stats, Sidney Crosby leads the team with 81 points. His 29 goals and 52 assists are also tops on the club. Malkin has 72 points on the season (24G, 48A).
The one thing that might hurt the Pens is they have not been great defensively this season. As a result, the team only has a plus-six goal differential.
NY Rangers breakdown
The Rangers were on a good run in late January through early February when they went on a seven-game winning streak. However, the team lost four in a row after that and have gone 5-2-1 since then. While the Rangers appear safe in the standings, there are no guarantees in the NHL and the team needs to play with more consistency down the stretch.
Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 74 points. His 54 assists are also tops on the team. The Rangers’ leading goal scorer is Mika Zibanejad, who has 34. He is second on the club in scoring with 70 points. Outside of Panarin and Zibanejad, New York has one other player with more than 20 goals, Chris Kreider (28). Meanwhile, Vincent Trocheck and Filip Chytil each have 19.
Igor Shesterkin has played well in net for the Rangers. He has a GAA of 2.64 and a save percentage of .910.
Best bet for Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers
This is the third meeting between these two clubs for the 2023 NHL season. In December, the Penguins topped the Rangers 3-2 in Pittsburgh. The Pens took a 2-0 season lead on the series on Sunday when they downed New York 3-2 in OT.
There is some value in betting the Penguins to go up 3-0 on the season against the Rangers, but the defense could be without Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta, as both players left the ice early during Tuesday’s loss to the Canadiens. The team also lost Dmitry Kulikov before that game. With the status of the Pens’ blueline, the best bet is to pick the NY Rangers to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pick: NY Rangers to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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