Panthers vs. Rangers Pick and Prediction – May 30, 2024

PANTHERS VS. RANGERS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – May 30, 2024 — Game 4 has to go down as a missed opportunity for New York. The Blueshirts dominated the game for 20 minutes. They had the Panthers on the ropes. Everything pointed to the Rangers coming home with a 3-1 lead.

And then the second period began, and Florida was back to its normal self. The Panthers shook off 20 bad minutes and recovered in the second period, setting themselves up to win in overtime. It’s the third overtime game of the series, which speaks to how even these teams have been. And now the Rangers know they’re not finishing this off in Game 5. Win or lose, they’re heading back to the Sunshine State.

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The Rangers face a greater concern than South Florida in June: the Florida power play. The Panthers now have five power play goals in the past three games, connecting on 41.67% of their advantages. That’s not how New York wins games; the Rangers ranked third on the penalty kill in the regular season.

There is some good news in there for the Blueshirts: Florida has just three goals in five-on-five hockey in the past three games. But when you hand a team like Florida 10 chances on the power play, as the Rangers did in the past two games, it will haunt you. The Rangers have got to stay out of the box in New York.

The Odds

Puck Drop

When: Thursday, May 30 at 8 p.m. EST

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: ESPN

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of May 28th, 2024

Panthers vs. Rangers In-Season Trends

Taylor Swift might have called Florida “one hell of a drug”, but in this series, that term applies to overtime. These teams have found their way to the extra session four times in their past five meetings, and it might have been five of five if not for Alexis Lafreniere’s mistake in Game 1. If you’re willing to chance it, you can get great odds on betting on the game to go to overtime.

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While overtime has carried over from the regular season, the trend of overs has not. The under has cashed in three of the four games this series, and three goals were enough to win each time. It’s looking clear that the explosion in Game 3 isn’t likely to become a trend.

Players to Watch

The mistake in Game 1 might have been a wakeup call for Lafreniere. The Rangers’ young star again stepped up in Game 4, forcing the game into overtime with his third-period goal. Just as important, the Rangers finally got Adam Fox going. Fox has been well-guarded by Carolina and Florida, scoring just three points in his past eight games. Two of those came in Game 4, and the Rangers could badly use their leader on the power play to return to form.

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Sam Bennett also answered the call on the other side of the ice. Bennett scored the Panthers’ first goal of the game, and the Florida big three ended up responsible for both regulation goals. Getting Bennett back along with Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe makes the Panthers much more dangerous in attack.

The Pick

This series feels like it’s going seven. The teams have been even throughout the series and have taken turns controlling the game. Now it’s New York frustrated with its effort and looking for answers.

The ebb and flow will continue for the next three games. It’s the Rangers’ turn to get back in the saddle.