The Carolina Hurricanes are one win from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in four years. Just don’t expect that win to come against the New York Rangers in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday — unless, of course, you don’t believe in the power of undefeated trends.
Carolina is 12 games into the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, and the home team is … 12-for-12. Also, the host is on a 10-1 roll in Rangers games, with New York winning five in a row at the Garden. So of course NHL playoff odds for Game 6 reveal the Rangers as a solid home chalk, right? Nope. An hour before puck drop, Game 6 is a consensus pick ’em.
Will the home team trend hold up one more time and send this series to a decisive Game 7 back in Carolina? Or will the Hurricanes finally win a road game and advance to a conference final matchup against the two-time defending Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning?
Props.com breaks down NHL playoff odds and action for Saturday’s showdown in Manhattan.
| Matchup | Moneyline | Puckline | Total | Series Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | -110 | -280 (+1.5 goals) | 5.5 (Over +125) | -400 |
| New York Rangers | -110 | +225 (-1.5 goals) | 5.5 (Under -145) | +310 |
Odds via WynnBet and updated as of 7:05 p.m. ET on May 28.
Carolina Hurricanes vs NY Rangers (Game 6)
Puck Drop/TV: 8 p.m. ET/ESPN
Best-of-7 series: Hurricanes lead 3-2.
Game 5 recap: Carolina broke a 1-1 tie with a rare power-play goal midway through the second period Thursday, then tacked on a third-period insurance goal for a 3-1 victory. The Hurricanes cashed as a consensus -155 home favorite, and the contest once again stayed Under the 5.5-goal total. The home team/Under parlay is a perfect 6-for-6 in the series.
Slap Shots
Hurricanes: Carolina has outscored opponents 25-8 during its six playoff wins at home. However, the Hurricanes have ended up on the short end of a 21-8 aggregate score in going 0-5 on the road. And while they have outscored the Rangers 7-2 in three games in Carolina, the Canes have been outscored by the exact same score in two losses in New York. … Oddly enough, Carolina won five of its last six regular-season road games. That includes two victories at the Garden. … Ten of the Hurricanes’ 12 postseason contests have been decided by multiple goals. They are 5-5 in those games. … Carolina is 6-3 against the Rangers this season, with a 23-19 goals advantage. Ten of the last 12 meetings (including four in a row) have been decided by 2-plus goals.
Rangers: New York fell to 6-6 in the postseason with Thursday’s loss. The Rangers are 5-1 at Madison Square Garden, but 1-5 as a visitor. … New York has scored 16 goals in its last four home games dating to Game 7 of the first round against Pittsburgh. Conversely, it produced just two total goals in three games at Carolina. … Nine of New York’s last 11 games have been decided by 2-plus goals. … New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin yielded three goals in Game 5 after surrendering just five in the first four games of the series. The presumptive Vezina Trophy winner still has stopped 148 of 156 shots in the series. Over his last eight games, Shesterkin has posted a .936 save percentage (247 saves on 264 shots).
From the Penalty Box
Carolina’s second-period power-play goal was its first of the series and just its sixth in the playoffs. The Canes, who finished 1-for-2 in Game 5, are now 6-for-47 in the playoffs (12.8%) and 10-for-96 (10.4%) dating back to the regular season. Carolina has killed 33 of 42 penalties in the playoffs (78.6%) after posting a league-best 88% penalty kill in the regular season.
New York also went 1-for-2 on the power play Thursday and is now 9-for-32 (28.1%) with a man advantage in the postseason. The Rangers have killed 27 of 34 (79.4%).
Betting Nuggets
- Carolina is on positive runs of 13-5 overall and 18-6 in the conference semifinals
- New York is 41-20 in its last 61 home games
- New York is 2-5 in its last seven in the conference semifinals
- Favorite is 35-16 in the last 51 series meetings
- New York is 20-6 in its last 26 home games vs. Carolina
Game 6 prediction: Rangers 3, Hurricanes 1
NHL Playoff Odds and Action Updates
UPDATED 7:05 P.M. ET FRIDAY: With an hour to go before the puck drops, WynnBet has Game 6 listed as a -110 pick ’em on its NHL playoff odds board. That moneyline price is unchanged from the opening number. The Rangers are drawing the majority of the moneyline action at 70% tickets and 72% money.
The puckline remains at the opening price of Rangers -1.5 (+225)/Hurricanes +1.5 (-280). There’s two-way action here, as 55% of the wagers are on Carolina, but 80% of the cash is on New York. The total opened at 5.5 flat (-110 both ways) at WynnBet. It’s now 5.5/Under -145 on split action of 67% tickets on the Under but 52% money on the Over.
UPDATED 6:05 P.M. ET FRIDAY: DraftKings initially installed New York as a -115 home favorite on its NHL playoff odds board for Game 6, with Carolina priced at -105. The moneyline shifted to -110 both ways for several hours today but is now back to the opener of -115. Early moneyline action is trending in the direction of the home team, as 73% of the bets and 77% of the money are on the Rangers so far at DraftKings.
The puckline has adjusted from the opener of Rangers (-1.5) +255/Hurricanes (+1.5) -280 to Rangers +220/Hurricanes -275 after peaking at Rangers +275/Hurricanes -300. Most of the early tickets (60%) and dollars (80%) are on New York.
After six straight Unders to begin the series, DraftKings once again opened the total at 5.5, with juice moves from Under -140 to Under -145. However, early this morning the total fell to 5/Over -140 and is now at 5/Over -130, on betting splits of 60% wagers/51% cash on the Under.
Check back prior to puck drop for additional NHL playoff odds and action updates on Game 5 of Hurricanes vs Rangers.
