The New York Rangers opened as favorites to win their Eastern Conference NHL playoffs series but find themselves down 3-1 as it returns to New York for Game 5 on Wednesday. The Blueshirts are favored to keep their season alive.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out some slick assists to get bets into the back of the net. This time, let’s break down the upcoming 2022 Stanley Cup PLayoffs matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. Be sure to be on the lookout for updated NHL odds at our online Bitcoin sportsbook before placing your bets.

Penguins vs. Rangers Game 5 Information

• When: Wednesday, May 11, 2021, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• TV: ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS, MSG, ATTSN-PT
• Radio: 106.7 The Fan (Penguins) // AM 560 Sports WQAM (Rangers)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Penguins (+111) / Rangers (-133)

READ MORE: Capitals vs. Panthers Game 5 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds and Preview – May 11th, 2022

Why Bet on the Pittsburgh Penguins?

With Pittsburgh up 3-1 in the series, the Pens are -650 on the series line and Rangers +500. Pittsburgh is 15-3 all-time in a best-of-7 seven series when leading 3-1 and 3-0 when starting on the road. New York is 2-18 all-time in a best-of-7 when trailing 3-1 and 1-3 when starting at home.

Pittsburgh apparently has obliterated the confidence of Rangers star netminder Igor Shesterkin as the Pens scored seven goals in both Games 3-4 at home and Shesterkin got pulled in both – he was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy on Tuesday and is going to win it.

The Pens rolled 7-2 on Monday thanks to five second-period goals; Sidney Crosby finished wtih a goal and two assists to become the sixth player in NHL history to reach 200 career postseason points. Crosby has 71 goals and 129 assists in 178 playoff games. Wayne Gretzky holds the record with 382 points.

Fellow future Hall of Famer Evgeni Malkin scored the 66th postseason goal of his NHL career to move into sole possession of third place on the franchise’s all-time list and a share of 21st in league history. Malkin reached 177 career playoff points, passing Jean Beliveau and Sergei Fedorov for the NHL’s 15th-most all-time.

Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist to become the first player in franchise history to score at least one goal in each of Pittsburgh’s first four games from the start of a postseason. Guentzel’s run is also the longest goal streak by a Penguins player at any point in a playoff year since 2010.

The Penguins scored seven goals in consecutive playoff contests for the first time in franchise history and became just the fourth NHL team to do so in the last 28 years, joining Buffalo in 2006, Philadelphia in 2012 and Colorado in 2020.

Why Bet on the New York Rangers?

Shesterkin had a 36-13-4 record, 2.07 GAA, and .935 save percentage in 53 contests during the regular season. His GAA and save percentage were both the best in the league. But something is clearly wrong right now after being pulled from back-to-back games. Yet, he will start Game 5.

“He’s the best goalie in the league. So, I’m going with him,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said after Game 4. “He’s probably real frustrated. It’s a team effort and he’ll be back in there and be ready to win the next game. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him. I’m more disappointed in our team than him. At least three pucks were deflected by him. But we just played a soft game.”

New York actually scored first in Game 4 just 2:06 in as former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere beat Penguins third-string goalie Louis Domingue with a long-range shot. Lafreniere became the 11th Rangers player to score a postseason goal before age 21 and the first to do so since Chris Kreider. New York has scored first in three of the four games. Adam Fox scored his second goal of the series and became the first Rangers defenseman to record multiple goals in a playoff round since 2017. Fellow defenseman Ryan Lindgren (lower body) did not play after being labeled a game-time decision for a second straight game.

Wednesday will be Pittsburgh’s first close-out opportunity in a series since the first round of the 2018 playoffs.

“We know we have a lot of work left,” Crosby said after Game 4. “When you win a game like this, you know you’re going to see the other team’s best the next time. They’re a good hockey team. … It’s going to be a big challenge going into New York.”

New York has been outscored 20-14 this series. It outscored Pittsburgh 11-4 in four regular-season games, winning three.

Penguins vs. Rangers Betting Trends

• Penguins are 2-6 in the last 8 road games.
• Penguins are 1-4 in the last 5 games as a road underdog.
• The total went over in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games.
• Rangers are 7-3 in the last 10 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
• Rangers are 21-9 in the last 30 games as a home favorite.
• The total went over in 6 of NY Rangers’ last 7 game.

Penguins vs. Rangers Expert Betting Predictions

Rangers ML.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.