Rangers vs. Penguins Game 6 NHL Picks: Will Pittsburgh Complete the Upset?

Kyle Smith

Last Updated: May 13, 2022 5:47 AM EDT • 2 min 25 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 11: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 11, 2022 in New York City. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by BRUCE BENNETT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Desperate to avoid elimination for the second consecutive game, the New York Rangers travel to the Steel City on Friday night to battle the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6. Read on for our Penguins-Rangers picks and predictions.

The nearly impossible heroics of goaltender Igor Sheterkin propped up a slightly better than average Rangers team for much of the 2021-22 season. With Shesterkin’s lauded brick wall impression slowly transforming into a sieve impersonation during the postseason, the Rangers find themselves on the brink of elimination.

At the other end, the Penguins have been the more complete team while overcoming injuries to their top two goaltenders and taking a 3-2 series lead. But will they be able to survive Sidney Crosby's potential absence in Game 6?

Here are my Rangers-Penguins picks and predictions for Friday’s Game 6 showdown (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Rangers vs. Penguins Game Info

Date/Time: Friday, May 13, 7 p.m. ETTV: TNT, TVAS, Sportsnet, CBC, SportsNet PT, MSGLocation: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Rangers vs. Penguins Odds Analysis

The Rangers opened as the -131 favorite. The line has since moved to -120 through DraftKings, despite 70% of the cash coming in on New York. If you believe the underdog Penguins can close out the series at home, Pittsburgh can be snatched up at +100.

The total is set 6.5, with the Over paying out at +100, and the Under at -120. Every game in the series has featured seven-plus goals, leading to some definite value in betting the Over.

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Rangers vs. Penguins Picks

Penguins (+105 DraftKings)???Over 6.5 (+100 DraftKings)????Jake Guentzel Over 0.5 goals (+120 FanDuel)????

Rangers vs. Penguins Predictions

Penguins (+105)

So much of this pick hinges on Sidney Crosby's health. He's been an absolute beast with two goals and nine points in the series. But the Penguins captain left Game 5 with an upper-body injury after a questionable high hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba.

With Crosby leading the way, the Penguins have controlled possession thus far. They boast a 54.10 Corsi for percentage while also besting the Rangers in goals scored, expected goals for, expected goals against, and expected goals for percentage.

Despite the potential loss of Crosby and inferior goaltending, the Pens have been the better club through five games and that will continue. They’ll close out the series at home on Friday night.

Over 6.5 (+100)

Even with the odds-on Vezina favorite patrolling the Rangers’ crease, there’s been no shortage of goals through five games. The generally superhuman Shesterkin has looked mediocre in the postseason while surrendering a putrid 4.6 goals per game. That includes consecutive outings when he allowed seven pucks to touch twine.

Meanwhile, the Penguins' third-string goalie Louis Domingue is starting to look like, well, a third-stringer after a solid start to the playoffs. Domingue has allowed 3.75 goals per game over his last four contests, surrendering four-plus goals three times during that stretch.

With both goaltenders struggling mightily, the teams have combined for seven-plus goals in every game of the series. That won't change on Friday night.

https://twitter.com/johnewing/status/1525113130745044993

Guentzel Over 0.5 goals (+120)

Geuntzel has ratcheted up his reign of terror in the playoffs after registering 40 goals during the regular season, racking up seven markers through five games. He's lit the lamp during every matchup of the series while averaging a ludicrous six shots per game.

Expect Guentzel to make it rain rubber again on Friday night, with at least one of those pucks finding the back of the net.

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Rangers-Penguins picks made on 5/13/2022 at 9:20 a.m. ET.

Written By:
Kyle Smith

A sportswriter for more than a decade, Kyle Smith was once voted “World’s 78th Greatest Lover” by ‘Relatively Attractive People Magazine’.* After covering nearly every sport under the sun for theScore, Smith settled in as head MMA writer where he helped shape the company’s coverage and establish its combat sports identity. Since then, he’s dipped his toes (cannonballed) into the world of betting, where he specializes in the UFC and NHL. Constantly chasing that gigantic Parlay Dragon, Smith was devastated when a Leon Edwards head kick completely obliterated a recent five-leg parlay. You can read his rantings and ravings on Twitter @Heldrificus. *Not a real publication.