Betting On Devils Rangers - Devils And Rangers Get Set To Renew Their Rivalry In East Finals

The New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers figure to play an Eastern Conference Finals series that will be extremely close, long, and demanding… and they won't have to travel much.

Eastern Conference Finals: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers – Series Overview  
Sports betting line: N/A

Why New Jersey Will Win

When you appraise an NHL playoff series and try to make betting online pay off for yourself, you are always confronted with the awareness that you're likely to see a one-goal game. That's just the reality of the NHL playoffs. The teams are so evenly matched, the stakes so high, the defensive effort so intense, the goaltending so urgent, that it's hard to distinguish the favorite from the underdog, the team with the edge compared to the team that's operating at a disadvantage. One ill-timed penalty, one specific bounce of the puck, one clutch save by a goalie at a particularly fragile point in the proceedings, is all it takes to shift the momentum of a game and, quite possibly, a series.

It happens a lot in the National Hockey League, and it's very likely to happen before this series between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers is over. The Devils are the best offensive team left in the NHL's final four. New Jersey finished the regular season ranked 11th in the league in offense. Therefore, it stands to reason that their opponent will have to work harder on defense. New York played two defense-minded teams, Ottawa and Washington, in the first two rounds. New Jersey is a more balanced squad whose elite goal scorer, Ilya Kovalchuk, is playing with a tremendous amount of focus and clarity. New Jersey has more weapons, a reality which should cancel out the Rangers' advantage in net.

Why New York Will Win

Even the best online sportsbook will find it hard to choose the Devils in this series. Yes, the 2012 NHL Eastern Conference Finals should be a long and close series, but in the end, the Rangers have two very significant advantages. First, they get home ice in a possible Game 7, having already won two Game 7s at home in these playoffs and having won all five home-ice Game 7s in franchise history. Second, New York has the clearly superior goaltender. Henrik Lundqvist has been playing at the very peak of his powers in the playoffs. On nights when the Rangers were outgunned, Lundqvist stood tall between the pipes and stole multiple wins. He will enable New York to play with passion and conviction on the ice.

Who Will Win?

As the playoffs go deeper and deeper, the higher seeds gain more confidence because they surmount more obstacles and feel a pinch less pressure. This should help the Rangers to edge the Devils in what should be a thrilling series that will light up the Big Apple and rouse the citizens of New York City and Newark, New Jersey, and all places in between.

NHL Betting Pick: New York Rangers in 7 games