Blues vs Rangers Showdown at Madison Square Garden

Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers return to Madison Square Garden on a four-game slide, but this matchup with the St. Louis Blues sets up as a get-right spot for the home side when you weigh current form, health, and matchup history. The Blues just snapped their own four-game skid with a tight 2-1 win over the Islanders and still sit at 7-9-6, leaking 3.64 goals per game, while the Rangers’ 10-11-2 mark is backed by a much stingier 2.65 goals-against average that should matter over 60 minutes despite their recent losses. With Jake Neighbours back to bolster St. Louis’ attack but depth pieces like Alexandre Texier off the roster and Oskar Sundqvist having missed time earlier, the Blues remain thinner than ideal, whereas New York has key weapons such as Mika Zibanejad, Panarin and Adam Fox healthy and Vincent Trocheck recently returning to stabilize the middle six even with Matt Rempe shelved. In goal, Jordan Binnington’s respectable 4-3 record and 2.89 GAA versus the Rangers is outweighed by Igor Shesterkin’s overall home success against St. Louis, including a 4-0 shutout at MSG last year, and New York’s superior defensive structure should eventually tilt a close game their way even if their early-season home record has been ugly. Laying -140 on the Rangers moneyline is a modest but acceptable price given their defensive edge, home ice, and higher-end talent, so this is a B-grade recommendation—solid edge, but not a slam dunk at this number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 09:28am

With the total parked at 5.5, the clash between a leaky Blues defense and a defensively sound but recently battered Rangers side nudges this game toward the Over at the near-even-money price. St. Louis games have been high-event thanks to a 2.68 goals-for mark paired with 3.64 against, and their penalty kill is struggling around the bottom third of the league, a bad mix against a Rangers power play hovering near 20 percent and now back to full strength down the middle with Trocheck returning. New York’s raw scoring output (2.48 goals per game) has been underwhelming, but their recent stretch features more open scripts—6-3 and 3-2 losses on the road plus a 7-3 win in Tampa—and the Blues’ last road swing produced several one-goal games that still crept into the 5–7 goal range. Add in that Binnington and Shesterkin both have middling career numbers against these specific opponents, and there are enough paths to three goals from each side—through special teams, defensive-zone breakdowns from St. Louis, and the Rangers finally converting more consistently at home—to justify taking Over 5.5 at -105. That price provides a fair risk-reward profile but relies on the Rangers’ offense waking up, so the Over is a B- play: slightly positive value in a volatile scoring environment. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 09:28am

Given how often these teams are living in one-goal territory, grabbing the Blues at +1.5 on the puckline, even at a steep -225, is a reasonable way to leverage the matchup and recent trends. St. Louis has been playing tight games—2-1, 3-2 and 3-2 decisions on their recent trip—while New York’s last handful of contests include multiple one-goal results like 3-2 and 2-1 finals, suggesting the Rangers’ low-event defensive style and sputtering offense are more likely to grind out narrow wins than blowouts. The Blues’ offense is no juggernaut, but with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou driving their top-six and Neighbours back in the lineup, they have enough scoring to keep pace, especially against a Rangers group that has struggled to put opponents away at MSG since their disastrous 0-5-1 home start. Between Binnington’s solid career numbers against New York and the Rangers’ recent tendency to play to the score, the most probable outcome corridor looks like a one-goal Rangers win or even a tight upset by St. Louis, both of which cash this +1.5. The juice limits the monetary upside—about 0.44 units profit on 1 unit risked—but the hit rate should be high enough to warrant a B-grade recommendation on Blues +1.5. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 24/11/2025 09:28am