The Twilight Zone nature of the 2024-25 New York Rangers continued last weekend.
It looked like the Blueshirts had finally figured everything out ahead of their massive back-to-back with the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blueshirts were 7-3-1 in their last 11 and were coming off an impressive 3-2 overtime defeat against the first-place Washington Capitals.
In fact, you could have made the argument that the Rangers were facing the Sens and Jackets – the two teams directly ahead of them in the wild-card race – at the perfect time.
Not so fast.
Rangers vs. Jets odds
| Team | Puck line | Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | +1.5 (-165) | +160 | o6 (+100) |
| Jets | -1.5 (+140) | -190 | u6 (-120) |
The Rangers blew a two-goal lead in the third period in Ottawa on Saturday and then followed that up with a messy performance on home ice against Columbus.
The two defeats don’t come close to eliminating the Blueshirts from the playoff picture, but they served as a reminder as to why the Rangers are in this position in the first place.
Things get a lot tougher for the Rangers on Tuesday. They’re currently priced as +160 underdogs at Bet365 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the Rangers’ defeats to Ottawa and Columbus is the fact that the defense, which was stoic and sturdy against the Caps, came completely unglued.
That is to be expected considering the Blueshirts have embedded in several new faces on the blueline over the course of the season, but it should never get to the point where they’re shipping nine expected goals and 26 high-danger scoring chances (per Clear Sight Analytics) in two games.
Defensive structure will certainly be the focus for the Rangers ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Jets, and I expect that to impact how this contest unfolds.
The Blueshirts will want to keep this one on the rails and limit the Grade-A opportunities that haunted them over the weekend.
There are a number of ways to play this game with that script in mind.
Betting on the NHL?
It’s not a bad idea to take a hard look at the Under 6 in a goaltending matchup featuring Igor Shesterkin and Connor Hellebuyck, but we can also look for some big prices that are correlated to this turning into a rock fight.
The one that jumps out the most is the first period to end scoreless at +375 odds.
BET: First period Under 0.5 goals (+375, Bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
