Betsided

Rangers vs. Hurricanes Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 3

Analyzing Game 3 of a high powered matchup between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern conference playoffs.

By Benjamin Upson

May 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) and center Vincent Trocheck (16) converge on Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37).
May 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) and center Vincent Trocheck (16) converge on Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37). / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs roll on in the East as the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes meet in Game 3 of their series. The scene now shifts to Raleigh as the Rangers won both games at Madison Square Garden.

It has been a pair of absolute thrillers to this point, including a double overtime matchup in Game 2. It’s pretty obvious that both teams are here to compete hard and we still could be in for a long series.

Here’s how to play Game 3 on Thursday in Carolina.

Rangers vs. Hurricanes Odds, Puck Line and Total

Rangers vs. Hurricanes Betting Trends

  • Rangers are 6-0 straight up in the playoffs
  • Hurricanes are 30-10-4 at home this season
  • Rangers are 34-0-1 when scoring 4+ goals
  • Hurricanes are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games

Rangers vs. Hurricanes: How To Watch

  • Date: Thursday, May 9th
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM EST
  • Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
  • How To Watch (TV, Streaming): TNT, TRUTV, MAX
  • Rangers Record: 55-23-4
  • Hurricanes Record: 52-23-7

(NYR leads series 2-0)

Rangers vs. Hurricanes Key Players To Watch

Rangers

Mika Zibanejad: One of the hottest players on the ice for New York. Zibanejad has been active in these playoffs and an important part of the top line production. He’s on a 6-game point streak to begin the postseason with 3 goals and 8 assists. He additionally has 20 shots on goal, which ranks him in the 92nd percentile according to NHL Edge. This offense loves to move the puck around and special teams is their strong suit. When Mika is on the ice, other teams need to take note of his presence.

Hurricanes

Sebastian Aho: Another impact player is Sebastian Aho. He has five assists over the opening two games of the series and has had a very active presence at the net. The 26-year old center is having an efficient season, including 36 goals and 53 assists in the regular season. Aho’s skating distance ranks in the 95th percentile in the entire playoffs, showing that his speed and athleticism can be on full display. The Hurricanes are down 2-0 and need him to keep his energy up.

Rangers vs. Hurricanes Prediction and Pick

This is really an incredible series. It’s not 1-1 like many hockey fans have hoped for, but the pair of Rangers victories have been a dogfight just to claim them. Game 2 marked the longest postseason game this year, which lasted into double overtime.

Center Vincent Trocheck played over 35 minutes and notched the winning goal. Both teams are playing high paced, energized hockey that is built for stages like the playoffs.

The Rangers are clicking on almost all cylinders. They are 6-0 in the postseason and have some of the most lethal special teams in the entire league. The power play is buzzing with 4 goals on the man advantage.

They have dominated the other side, killing off 18 straight penalties dating back to Game 3 of the Washington series. Igor Shesterkin has a crazy streak alive in that he hasn’t allowed more than 3 goals across his previous 29 postseason games. New York is also an incredible 34-0-1 when scoring 4+ goals in a game. That’s clearly been the benchmark for this team as four goals will win a game for them and they’ve done that in both of the opening games.

Despite entering their home games down 2-0, Carolina has played well enough to be on the right side. They kept a lot of offensive zone pressure on in Game 2, the only problem is that Shesterkin bested them with 54 saves.

The power play is a big problem for the Hurricanes so far as they are a dismal 0-for-10. Sebastian Aho has led the team with 5 assists and has been the guy for this offense. I do believe that Freddie Andersen has played well in net, especially in Game 2. The Hurricanes penalty kill ranked first in the NHL at 86.4 percent during the regular season but the Rangers have converted on the power play four times.

Carolina has to stay out of the box plain and simple.

The Rangers are on a very similar path to the 1994 Stanley Cup run when a Mark Messier led team started the playoffs 7-0. Tonight feels like a different story. It’s very difficult to go into Raleigh which has a fantastic hockey atmosphere.

To me, Carolina is too deep and talented to lose three in a row. I expect them to answer the bell and play an efficient 60 minutes of hockey, but as we’ve seen the atmosphere can get very intense. I’m backing Carolina to get into the win column, but I will instead play Rangers +1.5 instead as we’re seeing a pattern of thrilling one goal games.

Expect that pattern to continue tonight.

Pick: Rangers +1.5

Note: Game odds are subject to change.

Home/NHL Predictions & Picks