Devils Rangers Betting - Devils And Rangers Clash In Pivotal East Finals Moment At MSG

The New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers

East Finals, Game 5: New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers – Wednesday, May 23
Sports bettingline: N/A

Why New Jersey Will Win

When you examine a late-stage NHL playoff clash and search for a way in which betting online can bring you a successful play, you are always confronted with the awareness that hockey games can be won against the run of play. In Games 1 and 3 of this series, the New Jersey Devils outplayed the New York Rangers in the first two periods but could manage nothing more than a scoreless tie. In the third period of those two games, the Rangers scored three goals to win by a deceptively large margin. Things are seldom what they seem in the cauldron of playoff hockey, and that's why the Devils, though playing on the road in this Game 5, are not to be counted out.

The Devils definitely know that they can compete with the Rangers, ignoring the sometimes-intimidating crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York. Goaltender Martin Brodeur hasn't been as good as New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist, but he has still played very well in this series, far better than what anyone would expect of a 40-year-old man. It's all a matter of converting that big chance when it emerges, and getting a fortuitous bounce of the puck at the right time. Whereas the Los Angeles Kings have thoroughly outplayed the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals have been a far more even series from the beginning of Game 1 up to now. If Ilya Kovalchuk or Zach Parise can just score one goal in the first period to fire up the troops, that's all the Devils will need to emerge from Game 5 with a victory.

Why New York Will Win

Even the best online sportsbook will not try to suggest that the New Jersey Devils should be favored in this game. The New York Rangers have the ultimate hammer, the supreme stopper, in the 2012 NHL postseason, a brick wall named Henrik Lundqvist. The man called "King Henrik" has been a royal pain for New Jersey, shutting out the Devils in Games 1 and 3 of this series even though the sixth seed outplayed and outshot the top-seeded Rangers for the majority of each contest. Lundqvist is in such a zone that it will be hard for the Devils to expose him. New Jersey did a terrific job of screening Lundqvist in Game 2 while also creating some deflections and angles that put the Rangers' netminder at a disadvantage, but it's very hard to replicate those maneuvers and successes over the course of a seven-game series. If Lundqvist is on his game, New Jersey is likely to get turned off. It's really that simple – one doesn't need to deconstruct this game in greater detail.

Who Will Win?

As the playoffs careen toward the Stanley Cup Finals, it's clear that Madison Square Garden will be rocking on Wednesday night. The New York Rangers have won Game 1 and Game 3 in each of their first two playoff series. They've lost Game 2 and Game 4. They figure to be able to scratch out a Game 5 victory in a series that's quite likely to go the full seven games at this point. Take the Rangers on Wednesday in their own building.

NHL Betting Pick: New York Rangers