This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Betting Picks: Expert NHL Bets and Props for Florida Panthers 
at New York Rangers 
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The Florida Panthers (4-3-1) and the New York Rangers (5-0-1) meet Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.
These teams not only met three times in the regular season, but they also battled in the Eastern Conference final last season. Florida won two of the three regular-season games, including a 4-3 shootout win at MSG on March 23 as a slight favorite (-113) as the Over (6) cashed. In fact, the total went high in all three meetings in the regular season.
In the postseason series, Florida won in six games en route to the Stanley Cup Finals, but three of the games went to overtime, and five of the six outings were decided by a single goal. The Under also went 5-1.
The Panthers are licking their wounds after getting roughed up 5-1 by the visiting Minnesota Wild on Tuesday in Sunrise as the Over (5.5) cashed. The previous four games had been decided by a single goal, including two overtime games against a pair of Western Conference teams, the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights.
For the Rangers, their record is nearly unblemished. They streak in with four consecutive regulation wins, and the only time New York failed to secure both points in a game was in a wild 6-5 OTL against the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 12.
The Blueshirts are cooking offensively, going for 5.0 goals per game (GPG) to lead the NHL. They're second in the league with 35.0 shots on goal (SOG) per game, and the power play is steaming along at a 31.6 percent clip, good for 6th in the league. The penalty kill is humming, too, hitting at an 86.4 percent clip to check in 8th.
For the Cats, the offense hasn't been as crisp. While, yes, they're missing Aleksander Barkov (lower body), the rest of the team is relatively healthy. Florida is averaging just 3.0 GPG to rank 19th, and it is 17th on the power play at 19.0 percent, which is rather mediocre. Defensively, Florida has allowed 3.6 GPG, which is just 26th, but at least the kill is solid at 85.7 percent.
The Rangers are playing much better hockey right now, and until the Panthers start ticking off consistent performances they cannot be trusted quite yet.
NHL Moneyline Bets for Panthers at Rangers
- Rangers ML (-146 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Sergei Bobrovsky (3-2-1, 3.47 GAA, .875 SV%) is projected to get the starting nod for the defending champs, but he hasn't been hitting on all cylinders just yet. Playing at MSG is a tough place to try and get back on track.
Igor Shesterkin (4-0-1, 1.98 GAA, .932 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to go for the Rangers, and he has been fire outside of the loss to Utah.
The Over is 5-1 in the past six games for the Panthers, and with the way the Rangers have been scoring, that's the lean here. Go high on the total, and hope Bob continues to let in goals at an alarming rate.
NHL Totals Bets for Panthers at Rangers
- Over 5.5 Goals (-122 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Visit our NHL odds page for the most up-to-date betting odds.
NHL Game and Players Props for Panthers at Rangers
- Chris Kreider Anytime Goal Scorer (+190 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
We'll keep it simple with a pair of Anytime Goal Scorer (AGS) plays since we'll be looking for an Over. Chris Kreider has five goals in six games, including two of the power-play variety. He had a goal and an assist in three regular-season games with the Panthers, so it isn't a slam-dunk play based on his series splits from a season ago, but he has fired out of the chute this season. The chance to nearly double up is too tough to pass on.
- Anton Lundell Anytime Goal Scorer (+370 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Lundell has picked up four goals and eight points through eight games, stepping up to pick up some of the slack with Barkov sidelined. Three of his four goals have come on the road, and being able to select a guy who is hitting at a point-per-game clip to multiply up by nearly four times is very tempting.
Panthers at Rangers NHL Best Bets Recap
- Rangers ML (-146 FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 Goals (-122 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Chris Kreider Anytime Goal Scorer (+190 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Anton Lundell Anytime Goal Scorer (+370 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
