New York Rangers Vs. Carolina Hurricanes Odds, Picks, and Predictions (1/21/22)

By Scott Steinberg | Jan 20, 2022, 6:10pm

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In a possible Eastern Conference Finals preview, the New York Rangers visits the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, 1/21. New York is 26-10-4 with 56 points, first in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina is 26-8-2 with 54 points, second in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers are +1100 to win the Eastern Conference while the Hurricanes are +650 to win the Eastern Conference.

New York Rangers Vs. Carolina Hurricanes Betting Odds

The Rangers were +2200 to win the Stanley Cup before the season started but is currently listed at +2500 to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Hurricanes were +1400 in the preseason to win the Stanley Cup, but as we head to the end of the third week of January, they are +1300 to win the championship.

New York Rangers Betting Odds

On Wednesday, the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs 6-3 at Madison Square Garden. New York was down 3-1 at the start of the second period; but outscored Toronto 5-0 in final two periods of the game. Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves in the win; including stopping all 27 shots he faced in the second and third periods. Ryan Strome scored the game winning goal; it was his ninth goal of the season.

New York’s success this season, starts in goal with Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers netminder has won three straight games since returning from NHL COVID protocols last Thursday (1/13). On the season, he’s 18-4-2 with a .938 save percentage and a 2.03 goals GAA. Shesterkin is currently +330 to win the Vezina Trophy.

Defending Norris Trophy winner, Adam Fox has been fantastic this season. In the win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday he had his first multi-goal game of his career. He’s currently the second highest scoring defensemen in the NHL with 42 points. Per NHL.com, Fox is the first Rangers defenseman to reach 40 plus points in 40 games or fewer since Brian Leetch in 2000-01. The second-year player has 84 blocked shots (second on the team) and 18 hits on the season. Fox is +350 to repeat as Norris Trophy winner. Jacob Trouba has been fantastic in 2021-22 as he’s the team leader in blocked shots with 91. He’s recorded 110 hits and is averaging 22:21 of ice time for the Blueshirts. Trouba has 18 points on the season (six goals and 12 assists). K’Andre Miller is a physical presence on New York’s blueline. In 40 games on this year, he has 55 hits and 48 blocked shots. Miller has also chipped in seven points on the campaign.

Chris Kreider leads the team and is third in the NHL in goals with 25 this season, he’s only three off his career high of 28. Artemi Panarin is second on the team in scoring with 40 points (10 goals and 30 assists). He’s one of the top 10 offensive players in the league and is a danger anytime he has the puck. In 468 career games he has 513 points: averaging 1.1 points per game. Mika Zibanejad has 14 goals and 23 assists placing him third on the team in scoring with 37 points. In his 11^th season, he has six points in his last five contests. On Tuesday, Zibanejab was elected to the All-Star game, but will not play due to personal reasons. Ryan Reeves scored his first two goals of the season in the win against Toronto, it was his first two goal game since April 25, 2013. The tough winger leads New York with 144 hits; third in the NHL.

Carolina Hurricanes Betting Odds

The Hurricanes are on a two-game winning streak outscoring the Canucks and Bruins by a combined score of 11-2. In their win over Boston on Tuesday, Carolina had six players score at least two points.

Forward Sebastian Aho leads the team in scoring with 39 points (16 goals and 23 assists). He’s a plus 14 and leads the team in power play goals with seven. Aho is averaging 19:08 of ice time per game. For his career, he averages .90 points per game. Teuvo Teravainen has played in 36 games on the year and is second on the team in scoring with 30 points (11 goals and 19 assists). A fluid skater and good puck handler, Teravainen has 14 points on the power play in 2021-22. Andrei Svechnikov, the second pick in the 2018 draft is tied with Teravainen for second on the team in scoring with 30 points (13 goals and 17 assists). He’s a plus 12 on the season and is averaging 17:03 of ice time per game. Coming over to Carolina in the off-season from Montreal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored two goals and was a plus three in the victory over Boston on Tuesday. On the season, Kotkaniemi has 18 points in 36 games. Captain Jordan Staal only has eight points on the year, but he’s won 57% of his face-offs and leads the team in hits with 92.

Anthony DeAngelo leads Carolina defensemen in points with 28 (six goals and 22 assists). He has six points in his last five games: including four assists in his last two games. In his first season with the Hurricanes, he’s a career-high plus 14 and is averaging 19:08 of ice time per game. DeAngelo played for the Rangers from 2017-21, accumulating 92 points (19 goals and 73 assists), blocking 187 shots, and totaling 136 hits. Jacob Slavin is a reliable force on the blueline for the Hurricanes. He has 21 points (two goals and 19 assists), while blocking 56 shots and recording 36 takeaways.

Frederik Andersen has started 25 games in goal for the Hurricanes this season. He’s 20-6-0 with a .930 save percentage; fifth in the NHL and his 1.99 GAA is tied for second in the league.

New York Rangers Vs. Carolina Hurricanes Picks & Prediction

Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour has done a wonderful job getting production from all players throughout the lineup. The Hurricanes have seven players who have scored at least 20 points this season. In his first season with the Rangers, head coach Gerard Gallant has five players in his lineup with 30 points or more.

The visiting Rangers are allowing 2.5 goals per game, second in the NHL and are scoring 2.9 goals per game, 17^th in the league. The Hurricanes are scoring 3.5 goals per game, ranking them fourth overall and defensively are allowing 2.3 goals per game, which is first in the NHL. Due to the solid goaltending and defensive play on both sides, I do not see this as a high scoring game. I’m going with Carolina and under 5.5 goals for the game.

Scott Steinberg

Scott has been a sports fan since he received a New York Mets jacket as a toddler. He’s been playing fantasy baseball and football for over 20 years, dating back to Frank Thomas being one of his first fantasy baseball picks. As a professional, he has covered the NFL, MLB, NCAAF, and NCAAB and is looked to as the go-to guy for fantasy sports amongst family, friends, and co-workers.