New York Rangers
Preseason Odds: Stanley Cup +2000
While they struggled to begin the 2022-23 NHL season, the New York Rangers should eventually find their groove and likely clinch another playoff berth. They had a good run last season and have strength in the squad to repeat or surpass that campaign.
If they can find their form again this year, the Rangers will be a team to watch and one to look out for when it comes to betting on the NHL, although they might fall short of going all the way to the Stanley Cup finals.
Mika Zibanejad has been sensational for the Rangers early this year, contributing plenty of goals and assists. Left winger Artemi Panarin is also making an impact, finding the net directly as well as being one of the best providers of assists.
Elsewhere on the ice, the Rangers get solid contributions from Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, and Vincent Trocheck, while Igor Shesterkin has been excellent in goaltending.
The Rangers reached last season’s Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. The team missed out on playoff appearances in the previous year, but will be looking to build on last year’s momentum with Gallant at the helm for his second season.
The 2021-22 campaign was only their second playoff berth in the previous five years. Before this spell, the Rangers had postseason appearances from 2010 to 2017, making it as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.
The Rangers franchise was founded in 1926 by Tex Rickard and was part of the Original Six that competed in the league before its 1967 expansion. They have four Stanley Cups, with the first three coming in 1928, 1933, and 1940. Since then, the Rangers have struggled to repeat their success but finally won another Stanley Cup in 1994.
Aside from the Stanley Cup, the Rangers have two conference titles, seven division championships, and three Presidents’ Trophies. Four Rangers players have won the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player. They are Andy Bathgate, Chuck Rayner, Buddy O’Connor, and Mark Messier.
The Rangers play their home games at Madison Square Garden, one of the most famous sports arenas in the world. The Garden’s current location opened in 1968 and can accommodate up to 18,006 hockey spectators. They share the Garden with the NBA’s New York Knicks.
There’s a certain aura that playing in the Garden induces, and Rangers players take that feeling to heart. Likewise, they will likely get a loud and supportive crowd in every game because MSG always attracts sports fans and tourists globally. Therefore, opposing teams will have an uphill battle, especially in communicating.
The Rangers have a rivalry with the New York Islanders, given that they share the same state. The two teams have played each other 327 times, with the Rangers enjoying a 153-145-19-10 edge in the all-time series. However, the Islanders have 20 postseason wins against the Rangers, who have 19 against their intrastate rivals.
Likewise, the Rangers are rivals with the Philadelphia Flyers in an ongoing feud among sports fans in the two cities. They’ve also had 246 hockey fights with the Flyers, the most for the Rangers against an NHL team. The Rangers also have a long-standing feud with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as proven by 184 hockey fights between the two franchises.
Finally, the New Jersey Devils are one of the Rangers’ rivals because of the former’s location in the New York Metropolitan area. The Battle of the Hudson River has happened 262 times, with the Rangers having an advantage in the all-time series, 126-105-21-10. The Rangers also lead in the postseason series, 18-16.
