Rangers vs Blackhawks

The Rangers come into Chicago riding a 5-1-2 surge and a three-game road win streak, while the Blackhawks limp home 2-6-2 in their last 10 and off consecutive home beatdowns by a combined 13-1, so the current form sharply favors New York even with Adam Fox on long-term IR and depth winger Adam Edstrom still sidelined. With Fox out, the Rangers have tightened structurally and allowed only eight goals in four games, leaning even harder on Igor Shesterkin and a deep forward core led by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, all confirmed on the active roster, whereas Chicago remains heavily dependent on Connor Bedard for offense with secondary scoring from Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi and a blue line that has struggled badly in coverage. Historically, New York’s top guns have produced well in this matchup—Zibanejad owns 18 points in 18 career games against Chicago and the Rangers have taken seven of the last nine in the series—and that skill gap matters against a Blackhawks group that’s been outscored nearly 2-to-1 over the last few weeks. Laying -140 on the road is never cheap, but between the Rangers’ current defensive form, their superior five-on-five talent, and Chicago’s recent defensive collapse, I’d make New York a modestly strong play with a projected edge over the posted price and grade this moneyline bet a solid B for combined likelihood and return. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 10/12/2025 09:23am

Even with Chicago’s recent blowout losses skewing the box scores, the underlying profile of this matchup points me toward the under 6 at -110: the Rangers are averaging just 2.65 goals for but a stout 2.61 against per game and have given up only eight goals across their last four contests, while Chicago sits under three goals for and just over three against on the season with long stretches of offensive inconsistency. Fox’s injury likely hurts New York’s transition and power-play creativity more than its defensive structure, and on the other side Chicago is missing veteran voice Nick Foligno while still integrating a young forward group around Bedard, which has produced some big nights but also multiple one- and two-goal duds, including three straight games with two or fewer before the Kings win last week. Recent series history has produced some high-scoring Rangers outbursts, but this specific version of New York is playing slower, defense-first hockey and suppressing chances, and Spencer Knight plus a home-ice matchup advantage for Chicago’s checking lines should help keep Panarin and Zibanejad from turning this into a track meet. My projection lands closer to 5.4 total goals with a fairly tight distribution around 3-2 or 3-1 either way, so at an even -110 price I slightly prefer the under and grade it B+ given the strong defensive metrics on the Rangers’ side and the volatility in Chicago’s scoring. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 10/12/2025 09:23am

While I like the Rangers to win outright, the combination of their low-event style, a revitalized Bedard driving heavy minutes at home, and New York’s habit of playing tight one-goal games makes Chicago +1.5 an appealing way to fade the blowout narrative, even at a steep -220. The Rangers’ record over the last two seasons is stacked with one-goal victories, and without Fox’s breakout passing to fuel odd-man rushes, their path to success leans even more on grinding, structured shifts rather than piling on crooked numbers, which naturally keeps margins thinner. Chicago’s recent 6-0 and 7-1 losses are ugly, but those came in the middle of a heavy home stand and Knight has otherwise been solid, while Bedard’s home splits and on-ice shot share show he can tilt the ice enough to keep games within a goal when he’s on, especially if Teravainen or Bertuzzi chips in. Given that New York is correctly favored but often content to lock down third periods instead of chasing extra offense, I like the probability that Chicago stays inside the number more than the moneyline price suggests, though the expensive juice caps the upside, so I’ll take Blackhawks +1.5 and grade this puckline bet a B- on a blend of likelihood and limited monetary value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 10/12/2025 09:23am