Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Take Rangers in Game 2 of Eastern Conference Final)
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final is set to take place on Friday night when the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers throw down at Madison Square Garden.
The Panthers snagged the Game 1 victory behind Sergei Bobrovky's 24 save shutout performance. It was a close 1-0 game until a Rangers own goal with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Sam Bennett then notched an empty-netter to officially put the game away.
Let's dive into my pick for tonight's Game 2.
NHL Best Bet Today
- Rangers -105 vs. Panthers
The odds for tonight's game are via FanDuel Sportsbook
Panthers vs. Rangers Game 2 Prediction
The Rangers got by this season on a high shooting percentage and strong goaltending, but in Game 1 they ironically had the better advanced metrics despite losing.
New York had the advantage in expected goal differential at +0.42. They also had more high-danger scoring chances with a 11-9 advantage over the Panthers. Unfortunately, it was Bobrovsky who had the better performance in between the pipes and that was the difference maker.
I was on the wrong side backing the Rangers in Game 1 but nothing I saw in that game has swayed me to go against them in Game 2. In fact, I'm encouraged by what I saw in the first game of the series.
Let's bet on the Rangers again tonight and see if they can even up the series.
Pick: Rangers -105
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!