Carolina Hurricanes @ New York Rangers - December 22, 2024

Alright, hockey fans, let’s get ready for what should be a thrilling match-up this Sunday night at Madison Square Garden as our New York Rangers take on the Carolina Hurricanes! I don’t know about you, but my lucky jersey is already out and waiting by the door. We’re talking about two teams with vastly different vibes coming into this game.

The oddsmakers have set Carolina as slight favorites at -111, which is a bit surprising given their recent struggles. They are sitting at 20-11-1 SU but have really been hitting the wall lately. The Canes lost their last game against the Capitals, which means they’ve been shaky on the road, going 0-5 ATS in their last five games away from home. And if you’re a fan of UNDER bets—like I often am when our Rangers hit the ice—you’d be happy to see that Carolina has gone UNDER in five straight outings.

Now let’s talk about our Rangers. With a record of 16-15-1 SU, we’ve had our ups and downs this season. But you can’t discount that heart-stopping win against the Stars where we turned some heads as +148 underdogs! Our offense may not be lighting up the scoreboard like other teams—averaging just under three goals per game—but there’s resilience here. We have an average of over 30 shots on goal per game and when we do get those power plays rolling (a solid 20% conversion rate), it can change everything.

But here’s where it gets interesting: defensively, both teams have shown vulnerabilities. The Rangers boast an impressive 90.8% save percentage and an 88% penalty kill percentage while Carolina comes in lower at 89% saves and 85.58% on their penalty kill. This could mean that if things start to heat up in terms of power plays for either side, we might see some goals slip through.

The thing is that both teams are trending toward low-scoring affairs lately—the total has gone UNDER in five of Carolina’s last five games and four out of New York’s six most recent games too! It makes you think; with both teams fighting hard for points in December, will they put more emphasis on defense? I certainly expect a tight-checking game here.

In terms of predictions for tonight: I believe Carolina edges out a victory but don’t count us out entirely; after all, underdog wins cover spreads! So my gut tells me we’ll see a close score line with less than six total goals by the end of it all.

So grab your favorite snacks and settle into your seats—it’s going to be one heck of a battle on ice between these two squads! Go Rangers!