NHL Best Bets
Tonight is going to be an electric one. A pivotal Game Five at Madison Square Garden between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, what could be better? The momentum in this series certainly shifted over the last two games in Florida. The Panthers were the much better team, but the Rangers were able to sneak away with one of those games, which, in theory, was all they really needed. Tonight, the pressure is on, the Rangers do not want to head back to Florida down 3-2 in this series, so how will the home team perform? Let’s take a closer look for our NHL best bets.
Florida at NY Rangers (+105, 5.5)
There’s been one player in this series who has gone above and beyond. His name is Igor Shesterkin. Through the first four games of this series, Shesterkin has been boasting a .931 save percentage with a 2.32 goals against average. In the playoffs as a whole, he has +10.2 goals saved above expected.
Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t been tested nearly as much as Shesterkin in this series, but he has still played up to par. Through the first four games, Bobrovsky has faced 100 shots, while Shesterkin has seen 130. Bobrovsky is currently at a .910 save percentage and a 2.08 goals against average for the series, and both netminders are coming off of solid performances in Game Four.
Tonight’s Game Five should have a bit more of that “feeling out process” to it, especially in the first period. Both groups know what is on the line and will want to limit their mistakes as much as possible.
Of the four teams remaining in the playoffs, the Panthers have been generating the most shots on goal, averaging about 32.8 per game, but they’re only scoring 2.75 goals per game. That is all due to how well Shesterkin is playing. I’m anticipating Florida will generate around the same number of shots tonight, but with the home crowd behind him, it will be tough to rattle Shesterkin.
The Rangers have had trouble sustaining consistent offensive zone pressure, and I don’t see that magically changing tonight. So, to me, this feels like it’s going to be a low-scoring affair, just like Game Four.
I’m relying on both goaltenders tonight, and they have shown that they can be trusted.
NHL Best Bet(s): Under 5.5 -130 (play to -140) | Under 1.5 in the first period -135 (play to -150) | Igor Shesterkin over 28.5 saves -120 (play to -135)
May Record: 36-24 (+10.97 units)
2023-24 record: 189–175 (-17.72 units)
