Betting Game 7 Senators Rangers Senators And Rangers Lock Horns In Game Seven Showdown

The New York Rangers escaped in one elimination game this past Monday night in Canada. Now, they'll play another elimination game on home ice in Madison Square Garden.

East Quarters, Game 7: Ottawa Senators @ New York Rangers – Thursday, April 26  
Sports betting line: N/A

Why Ottawa Will Win

When you make an online betting play in an NHL playoff series, the laws of averages don't always hold up, but they have to be taken into consideration. Through the first five games of this series, the conventional wisdom was being stood on its head. Ottawa, blitzed in Game 1 and the first half of Game 2, somehow managed to gain a split in Madison Square Garden. The Senators probably should have trailed this series by a 3-0 margin after Game 3, but instead, they were down only 2-1 in the series. In Games 4 and 5, they decisively outplayed the Rangers, with goalie Craig Anderson stealing the show in an immaculate Game 5 performance.

Anderson made 41 saves in that contest to shut out the Rangers and give the eighth-seeded Senators a 3-2 lead in the series. Ottawa entered this past Monday night with a chance to close out the Rangers at home in Game 6, making it possible for each of the two number one seeds in the NHL postseason to lose in the first round. The top-seeded Vancouver Canucks had been eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday night in the Western Conference, courtesy of the Los Angeles Kings.

The Senators tried to do the deed as well, and for awhile, it looked as though they were going to do the job. However, the inability to convert on the power play, combined with a stretch of 10 minutes in which Ottawa lost focus, doomed the Senators in Game 6. New York, trailing 1-0 in the middle of the second period, scored three goals in a relatively short period of time to even the series and force a decisive Game 7.

In Game 6, it seemed that one bad officiating call – for goaltender interference against Ottawa – carried undue weight in the contest. The penalty gave the Rangers a 5-on-3 situation that they converted into a goal. As long as Ottawa can avoid unusual circumstances like that, the Senators can keep up with the Rangers. Ever since the third period of Game 2, Ottawa has carried the play on most occasions in this series.

Why New York Will Win

When betting on this game, you can look at many things, but ultimately, it comes down to which goaltender you trust. There's no question that Ottawa backstop Craig Anderson has been extremely good in this series, standing on his head in Game 5 and being above-average for most of the series, Game 1 being the conspicuous exception. However, in a career-defining crucible such as Game 7 of a playoff series, it is very hard to pick against Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers' goalie stole Game 3 of this series in Ottawa, and in Monday's Game 6, he kept his team in the game in the early stages of the second period, when the Senators – already leading by one goal – had several great chances to take a two-goal lead and gain complete control of the proceedings. Lundqvist is not likely to play poorly in this game. Period.

Who Will Win?

Henrik Lundqvist will not let himself – or the Rangers – lose, and it's really as simple as that. Ottawa had its chance to plunge in the dagger on home ice, but it failed on Monday. Now, the Rangers get a chance to play Game 7 at home before an electric crowd. They are not likely to squander this golden opportunity. New York will advance.

NHL Betting Pick: New York Rangers