Penguins vs Rangers Odds, Lines and Predictions for Saturday (Mar 18)

• On Saturday, March 18th, the Penguins and Rangers match up for the 2nd time in three days
• Each of the last 6 games between the Penguins and Rangers has been decided by two goals or less
• Check out the Penguins vs Rangers odds below, plus our best bet and prediction for this contest

Playing each other three times in one week is certainly one way to build a rivalry. It’s a prime time matchup on ABC when the Penguins and Rangers clash once again on Saturday, March 18th with the faceoff going at 8:00 pm ET from Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers defeated Pittsburgh 4-2 on Thursday in a physical back-and-forth affair when Chris Kreider potted the game winner late in the 3rd period and added an empty netter for good measure to hit the 30-goal mark for the campaign after his first 50-goal season.

While playing the same team in their home barn back-to-back during the regular season is not the norm, at least the Penguins haven’t had to travel over the last couple of days and can enjoy some time in Manhattan. A victory on Saturday would go a long way towards making this NYC trip a pleasant one.

Penguins vs Rangers Odds

Sportsbooks have decided to make the Rangers even stronger chalk, with moneyline odds of -144, than they were on Thursday against the Penguins when they were -140 moneyline favorites.

Paying out at +120 on the moneyline, the Penguins have an implied win probability of 42.55% to escape Broadway with a win, while the Blueshirts have a 59.02% probability to sweep this two-game set.

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Odds as of March 17th from FanDuel. Unlock the FanDuel promo code to bet on this game.

Injury Bug Continues to Plague Penguins

When it comes to the health of their squad, the Penguins just can’t catch a break. Both deadline acquisitions, Dmitry Kulikov and Nick Bonino are likely out at least until early April and oft-injured blueliner, Jeff Petry, left Thursday’s contest early and appears like he’ll be out for this rematch Saturday night as well.

Penguins are practicing now. No sign of Kris Letang or Jeff Petry, and no Dmitry Kulikov/Nick Bonino obviously. pic.twitter.com/Z4UlrwzTSY

— Taylor Haase (@TaylorHaasePGH) March 17, 2023

Currently a solid bet in the NHL playoff odds, the Penguins are tied with the Islanders for 7th in the East although they do have two games in hand. The Panthers are right on their tail, just three points behind with about a month left in the season.

One of the streakiest teams in the league this year, Mike Sullivan is hoping his squad hits its stride right in time for the postseason. One guy he doesn’t have to worry about is the ever-consistent Sidney Crosby.

Although he’s no longer a player to consider in the Hart trophy odds, Sid is still amongst the best in the league. He’s coming off a game where he set up both Penguins goals, and the Pittsburgh captain just clinched his 18th consecutive season where he’ll average at least a point per game.

Sidney Crosby recorded his 82nd point of the season tonight, ensuring that he will average a point per game for the 18th time in his 18-year career.

In NHL history, only Gretzky (19) has more point-per-game seasons than Crosby.

Congratulations, captain!https://t.co/hWO89KexSQ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 17, 2023

Rangers’ Riding High at MSG

Home ice wasn’t the advantage you’d expect for the Rangers in the early going. They started off with 11 wins in 24 games at Madison Square Garden, however, the Blueshirts have turned that around, going 8-2 over their last 10 on Broadway. That would partly explain why they’re such solid favorites in the NHL odds Saturday.

Every game against the Penguins seems to be an extremely tight affair, with three of the past four settled by a goal and the Rangers needing an empty netter with under a minute left to cover the puck line the other time. The Rangers have had a decided advantage at home, winning four in a row over Pittsburgh in Manhattan.

Penguins vs Rangers Recent Results

With the addition of massive names Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko prior to the trade deadline, the Rangers have joined the top five favorites in the  Stanley Cup odds. They appear destined for a first-round Hudson River rivalry encounter with the Devils, although hockey fans would love a rematch of last year’s seven-game thriller against the Pens.

Penguins vs Rangers Pick and Prediction

When these two teams get together, home ice has proven to be a big advantage with the hosts winning 73.1% of the last 26 matchups. Each regular season meeting this season has resulted in the squads combining for 6 goals or less.

Penguins vs Rangers Same-Game Parlay Picks

Winning back-to-back’s is always difficult and although the Pens aren’t expected to take this one, they are 2-0 in the 2nd half of back-to-back’s this season, while the Rangers have lost the back end the only previous time they were in this situation this season.

Our prediction is that an angry Penguins squad comes out determined not to let the Rangers take all four points over these three days, so our pick is Mike Sullivan’s squad on the moneyline.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins Moneyline (+120)