New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils Expert Pick and Prediction – May 1, 2023 

NEW YORK RANGERS VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – May 1, 2023 — For the first time in the rivalry between the Devils and Rangers, the decisive game will be played on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Whether that matters remains to be seen, because this has been a tale of two series, dictated almost entirely by whether the Rangers get pucks to the net.  

That proved true in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, when the Rangers exposed the legend of Akira Schmid by actually getting good looks at the net and seeing if he could shut them down. He didn’t, allowing five goals and getting pulled for normal starter Vitek Vanecek in the third period of a 5-2 New York victory. And now the Devils have the unenviable task of trying to take down the Rangers in a Game 7, something they’ve never done before and something almost nobody has managed recently. 

Over the past 11 seasons, the Rangers have played in nine Game 7s, and they’ve won eight of them, only falling to Tampa Bay in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. They’ve also gone 2-0 against the Devils in Game 7, including the famous double-overtime battle in 1994. But both of their clinchers against New Jersey came in the Garden, and this time, the Rangers have to cross the Hudson and try to close out the Devils on the road.  

The Odds 

Puck Drop 

When: Monday, May 1st at 8 p.m. EDT 

Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J. 

Public Bets: 65% on New York 

Public Money: 78% on New York 

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of May 1st, 2023 

New York vs. New Jersey In-Season Trends 

Home ice didn’t mean anything in the first four games of this series, but it certainly mattered in Game 5 and Game 6. The Devils have scored first in three straight games in the series, but the Rangers scored first in the first three games, so there’s no information with that trend. 

The best trend on the board is probably the UNDER here. I know that it’s fun to bet the over and expect goals in a Stanley Cup Game 7, but these are often low-scoring affairs. The teams know each other well, they have good defense and they have sharp goaltending. 

Players to Watch 

Everyone’s going to focus on the goaltenders, but beyond them, the most important player on the ice is New York defenseman Adam Fox. When Fox scores, the Rangers win. Fox serves as the quarterback for New York’s power play and often sets up teammates from the blue line on the attack. In this series, he has eight points — all of them assists, and all of them coming in the Blueshirts’ three victories. Fox notched a pair of assists in Game 5, and the rest of the Rangers respond to how well he plays. In their three wins, Fox is plus-6; in their three defeats, he’s a minus-4 and has zero points. 

Chris Kreider’s almost as important to the Rangers’ attack. He scored on the power play in Game 6, and the Rangers are 20-8 all-time in elimination games when he’s in the lineup. On the Devils’ side, whoever starts in net will have all the pressure on them. If Vanecek or Schmid struggle early, the Devils will have a hard time climbing back into the game. Beyond that, getting some contributions from Jack Hughes would really help. Hughes has just one assist in the series and hasn’t scored a goal since Game 4. Now’s the time if New Jersey’s going to advance. 

The Pick 

The Rangers have the experience in these situations, they’re playing with the momentum and they have Fox and goaltender Igor Shesterkin playing well at the moment. None of those bodes well for New Jersey, especially with the Rangers knowing how to handle this pressure so well. 

As long as New York can avoid an early hole, it’s got the edge here. 

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