NHL: New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins Prediction, Odds & Best Bets 12/16/23

Boston takes on the Rangers in their 2nd game of a back-to-back games vs New York teams. They are coming off a 5-4 shootout win vs the Islanders last night at UBS Arena. David Pastrnak had a goal and the game winner of the shootout.

The Bruins (19-5-1) and the Rangers (20-7-1) both lead their divisions so far this year. Boston, to some, is a surprise as a lot of people wrote them off in the preseason with their Captain leaving. New York is not too much of a surprise as they returned pretty much the same team.

On this 2nd game of their back-to-back vs New York teams, the Bruins will be faced with another tough goaltender. Igor Shesterkin is expected in net tonight, and he has not done well vs Boston in his career. He has a 3-7 record in his last 10 games against them with a 3.00 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Unfortunately for Shesterkin, he has lost his last 4 outings vs the Bruins.

Overall, this year Shesterkin has played ok. He has a record of 10-7-0 with a GAA of 3.02 and a .904 save percentage. New York will be relying on their high-powered offense to help give Shesterkin some help. They're 10th in the league for goals scored per game (3.32) and 16th in shots on goal forced per game (30.4).

Like I've pointed out in the past, sometimes you don't need to shoot a lot if you are accurate. The Rangers rank 6th in the league for shooting percentage (10.9%). Being able to make the shots count when they fly is most important. New York also leads the league in face offs won, winning at a 55% rate.

On defense, the Rangers hold their own and are very comparable to the Bruins on paper. Both teams allow an average on less than 2.75 goals per game and have great penalty kills, with averages above 85%.

Let's talk a little about Boston now. Again, coming off a shootout win last night – they played a full game. Linus Ullmark started last night, so we will see Jeremy Swayman tonight. He has played fantastic this year with a 9-1-3 record. He has a 2.07 GAA and a .933 save percentage.

From an offensive standpoint, this team still goes through David Pastrnak. He has 17 goals and 24 assists for a team leading 41 points. He is followed by new team Captain Brad Marchand who has 26 points. Huge production difference between first and second place on this team.

These 2 teams did play each other only less than a month ago. It was a real barn burner with the Rangers winning the game 7-4. We have different goaltenders for both teams starting tonight, so I think we see a different result. Let's check out the odds and dive into it.

Betting Odds

Puck Line

• New York Rangers +1.5 (-275)
• Boston Bruins -1.5 (+220)

Moneyline

• New York Rangers -110
• Boston Bruins -110

Totals

• Over 6 (+105)
• Under 6 (-125)

Odds courtesy of MyBookie

Game Information

• Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
• Puck Drop: 7pm EST
• TV: MSG, NESN

New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins Prediction and Picks

Prediction and Pick: Full Game Total Under 6 (-125) MyBookie

With the goaltender matchups that we have and Boston on a back-to-back, I don't think we see many goals tonight. The books are thinking the same, but still hanging the line at 6. I saw 5.5 on some of the bigger sportsbooks, but I like the 6 more.

Both teams have ridiculous offenses, but goaltending is going to be the X factor for this game. Swayman coming off rest will be the freshest body out there for the Bruins tonight and he'll be ready. Shesterkin hasn't been able to win many games vs Boston, but he is also on a 3-game losing streak, so he is due for a good game.

Both goalies GAA combined is less than the 6 that the line is set at. We just need these goalies to go their jobs and we're cashing this ticket.

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