The Devils finally broke through the Lundqvist wall in Game 4, scoring four goals and tying the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece. This is nothing new for the Rangers, though, as each of their first three playoff series have all been tied 2-2.
The general consensus is that the Devils may have turned a corner in Game 4 by finding a way to score a handful of goals, but the truth is that they’ve still been shut out twice in this series. Beating Lundqvist one game doesn’t guarantee future success, and the Rangers have been a great bounce-back team in the playoffs.
So far this postseason, the Rangers have lost back-to-back games just once and are 5-1 after taking a loss. They can’t seem to steady their efforts but, after a loss, they tend to regain the necessary fire and follow it up with a win.
A seven-game series has plenty of shifts in momentum and now the urgency is back in the Rangers' corner. Just as the Devils couldn’t afford to drop Game 4 and paint themselves into a corner going on the road, the Rangers can ill afford to do the same thing with Game 5 at home.
The series has turned nasty with both head coaches going at it, Martin Brodeur getting punched and Ilya Kovalchuk spearing Ryan Callahan. If the Rangers were in a slumber in their last contest, they’ll be wide awake in Game 5.
The Rangers were pretty sloppy with the puck in Game 4, giving it away on multiple occasions, which led to either goals by the Devils or added pressure. Look for the Rangers to clean up that area of their game, play smarter with the puck and keep the Devils under wraps in Game 5.
NHL Picks: Rangers ---
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
NHL Odds: OVER/UNDER 4.5
The pace of this series seems to be dictated by one thing: the Rangers defense. When it’s on, the results are Rangers wins and UNDER results. When the Devils are winning, it’s because their offense has found a way to score and the games are going OVER. In the two Rangers wins, there has been a total of six goals (none by the Devils). In the two Devils wins, there has been a total of 10 goals (seven by the Devils).
With the pendulum of momentum swinging back and forth, the likelihood is that – as mentioned above – the Rangers are in control of Game 5.
Realistically, if you like the Devils to win Game 5, then it makes more sense to parlay that with the OVER and if you like the Rangers, it makes sense to parlay that with the UNDER. That’s what I’ve got pegged as I can’t see the Rangers defense – and Lunqvist – breaking down to allow a slew of goals in back-to-back games.
NHL Picks: UNDER
Parlay: Rangers -130 & UNDER 4.5 +100 ($100 @ 3.53 pays $353.38) ---
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