Will the home team prevail in Game 7 again?
Game 7 – here we go again, this time in Carolina. The New York Rangers, who impressively proved in Game 6 on Saturday that they are far from being written off, will be the guests. Nevertheless, home advantage is the trump card in this series.
All six previous duels have been won by the home team and five of them by at least a two-goal difference. That alone makes the Hurricanes the clear favourites, and they were also the slightly better team in the Regular Season.
The question will be whether they will have their nerves under control now. The Toronto Maple Leafs proved how easily such a Game 7 can backfire in Playoff Round 1 when they lost both Game 6 away and then Game 7 at home.
However, with the Hurricanes already winning a seventh game at home in Round 1, our prediction for Carolina vs. New York on Monday is a home win for the favourites. It’s always an advantage to have already survived such a situation and that’s exactly what the Canes just did in the round before.
Carolina Hurricanes – Statistics & current form
The Hurricanes have their Game 7 at home again. They already had to go this route in the first playoff round against the Boston Bruins, which at least gives them an experience advantage now. The Rangers also won their series against the Pens only in Game 7, but were allowed to play at home then.
Even though we often write that anything can happen in a Game 7 – in a series where home field advantage was so important, it is already an important factor. Especially since both the Canes and Rangers haven’t been able to get much going away from home.
Defence at home so strong
The Hurricanes’ defence is particularly noteworthy here at home. They have conceded just two goals in their home games so far, which corresponds to an average of less than one goal conceded per game. If they manage to do that again, they are almost certain to advance.
Because it can be assumed that the Canes will score themselves. Even if seven home goals are not outstanding so far, this was often due to their poor scoring rate. They gave up more shots than New York in most games.
Efficiency still leaves something to be desired
In fact, that’s the only weakness we can pinpoint in the Canes game: Their hitting percentage. On Saturday, for example, they gave up 39:25 shots on goal, but lost 5-2. Not a good bid, both for the offense and for Goalie Raanta.
This is also where we see Carolina’s biggest threat. Nevertheless, in Hurricanes vs. Rangers a tip on the Canes is almost without alternative, especially if we take the previous games as a template. It would be a bit surprising if the home team doesn’t win in Game 7 of all games.
Key Players:
G: Antti Raanta
D: Jaccob Slavin
D: Brett Pesce
LW: Andrei Svechnikov
C: Sebastian Aho
RW: Teuvo Teravainen
New York Rangers – Statistics & current form
The Rangers need an away win. In the playoffs so far they have only managed one and that was almost three weeks ago. It’s not impossible if we remember the energy they showed in Game 6.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin in particular was in outstanding form, as he has been throughout the series. His save percentage of 95.12% over the entire series is one of the best percentages in recent NHL history over a 7-game series.
Advantages at the Goalie Position
With this cut, the Rangers have a chance again on Monday. We also see Shesterkin well ahead compared to Carolina’s Raanta, which could become the Rangers’ fave. However, it’s also the only position where we give them the edge.
Although they score more than Carolina in these playoffs with 3.23 goals per game, this also has to do with the high-scoring series against the Penguins. In general, New York has little to counter the Canes’ offence. In the Regular Season they scored 3.05 goals per game, the Hurricanes 3.38.
Away they lack confidence
This is also the main reason why we see the Rangers behind on Monday. Offensively, they can’t get their horsepower on the ice in foreign venues. The men from the Big Apple scored just two goals away from home in this series.
Their only chance, therefore, is to keep it a low-scoring game that is long 0-0 or 1-1. However, since we see the Canes as too strong for that, the odds on the Hurricanes in Carolina vs. New York are our clear betting recommendation after all.
Key Players:
G: Igor Shesterkin
D: K’Andre Miller
D: Jacob Trouba
LW: Chris Kreider
C: Mika Zibanejad
RW: Frank Vatrano
Carolina Hurricanes – New York Rangers Direct Comparison / H2H-Balance
The only direct comparison we want to add here is this playoff series and its six games. These almost all played out the same way. The home team took the lead and then defended it until the end.
Only in Game 1 was it different and the Rangers were able to take the lead away from home. Then they were caught at the very end. However, the other five duels have shown that the home advantage weighs heavily in this series. That should tip the scales again on Monday.
So for Canes vs Rangers, the odds on Carolina are still very good to bet on. So are under-point bets, as we’ve already experienced in these playoffs that seventh games are often approached very defensively.
Carolina Hurricanes – New York Rangers Tip
Home field advantage rules! In no other playoff series this year has home field advantage been as important as in this one. This comes as no surprise, as both teams lost only 12 games (Canes) and 14 (Rangers) in the regular season.
So the conditions for Monday are clear and we see a bet on the home team as the best betting option for Carolina vs. New York. When something seems so obvious, sometimes it just is.
However, as an alternative in this Game 7, betting on subpar points is also clearly recommended. In the five deciding games so far this postseason, the five total goals have only been surpassed once. Accordingly, the betting odds of 1.83 at Betway for Under 2.5 goals by the Rangers in Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, for example, are recommended.
