New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/29/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, December, 29, 2023

Venue:  Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL 

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Rangers +102, Panthers -122; Over/Under:  6 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Rangers +102, Panthers -122; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Rangers +102, Panthers -122; Over/Under:  6 goals

New York Rangers:  24-8-1 (1st place, Metropolitan Division)

Florida Panthers:  20-12-2 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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New York Rangers:  6-4-0 last 10

Florida Panthers:  6-4-0 last 10

The Rangers are entering this game with 49 points, a 24-8-1 record overall, and they are 12-4-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Washington Capitals in their last game, winning that one at home 5-1. K'Andre Miller led the team in goals with 2 while Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafrenière, and Braden Schneider each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Mika Zibanejad led the team in assists with 2 while Adam Fox led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 27 shots with 26 saves and a .963 save percentage. Their offense has scored 113 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 90 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game with 42 points, a 20-12-2 record overall, and they are 10-5-0 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, winning that one on the road 3-2. Sam Reinhart led the team in goals with 2 while Aaron Ekblad scored 1 goal for them in that game. Aleksander Barkov led the team in assists with 3 while Sam Reinhart led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots with 27 saves and a .931 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 99 goals this season averaging 2.9 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 89 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Rangers listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rangers have looked really good in their games this season with their 24-8-1 record overall which has them in 1st place of their division in the East. They have also looked great in their road games with their 12-4-1 road record too. Meanwhile, the Panthers have also looked good in their games this season with their 20-12-2 record overall which has them in 2nd place of their division in the East. They have also looked good on home ice with their 10-5-0 home record. Both of these teams have looked really good lately but the Rangers have been playing better in their games with their offense putting a lot of pucks in the net right now. The Panthers have been good lately but they just struggled to beat their in-state rival as they beat the Lightning 3-2 in their last game and the Lightning have really taken a step back this season. Meanwhile, the Rangers have been rolling over better teams lately and they will be looking to keep their streak going with one of the best road records in the NHL right now. The Rangers also have the better goaltending this season with both their starter and their backup which will be key here since they are scoring a lot of goals on offense too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rangers to win this game. 

Rangers Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, December, 29, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Rangers 4 Panthers 1.

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New York Rangers: 23-9 (+8.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 29-17 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 28-13 UNDER off a home win by 2 goals or more. 31-15 UNDER off an home win scoring 4 or more goals.

Florida Panthers: 2-5 (-5.8 units) on the moneyline after a division game. 0-4 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline off a win against a division rival. 14-6 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 21-13 UNDER in all games. 

New York Rangers:  J. Trouba (D) Ques Fri - Upper Body. K. Kakko (RW) Out indefinitely - Lower Body. F. Chytil (C) Out indefinitely - Upper Body.

Florida Panthers:  J. Gadjovich (LW) Out indefinitely - Illness.

“I thought he was real good. He made some really big saves at the end. He seems like he's dialed in.” - Peter Laviolette on Igor Shesterkin after his team’s win against the Capitals in their game on Wednesday.

“A lifetime of association with some really fine people. I’m mindful of that. It’s not a milestone necessarily, (it’s) a path." - Paul Maurice on coaching his 1,800th game after his team’s win against the Lightning in their game on Wednesday.

LW Kreider, Chris

C Zibanejad, Mika

RW Wheeler, Blake

LD Lindgren, Ryan

RD Fox, Adam

G Shesterkin, Igor

LW Rodrigues, Evan

C Barkov, Aleksander

RW Reinhart, Sam

LD Forsling, Gustav

RD Ekblad, Aaron

G Bobrovsky, Sergei

Points: A. Panarin (46)

Goals: A. Panarin (19)

Assists: A. Panarin (27)

GAA: J. Quick (2.27)

Points: S. Reinhart (42)

Goals: S. Reinhart (21)

Assists: A. Barkov (24)

GAA: A.Stolarz (2.18)

Coaches:

New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette (1st season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd season)