Flyers vs Rangers Prediction, Pick & Odds (Wednesday, Apr. 9)

• The New York Rangers’ (36-34-7) playoff hopes are hanging by a thread when they host the Philadelphia Flyers (31-38-9) Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

• Philadelphia is 3-1 under interim coach Brad Shaw and are 1.5-goal underdogs.

• It’s an old-school East Coast hockey rivalry, and I have your prediction, preview and look at the best odds heading into Wednesday night hockey.

For the New York Rangers (36-34-7; 32-45 ATS), it’s win or else as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers (31-37-9; 38-39 ATS) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

With five games left in the regular season, the Rangers are eight points behind Montreal for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. New York is mathematically alive, but they have a lot of work to do.

The Flyers have the fewest points in the Eastern Conference, but have shown some life after the firing of coach John Tortorella.

I think it’s going to be an interesting one in MSG. I have a prediction and look at the best odds.

Flyers vs Rangers Pick

• Flyers +1.5 (-162 at DraftKings)

• Under 5.5 (-102 at DraftKings)

The John Tortorella/Philadelphia Flyers marriage was doomed to end in an ugly way, and it did last month with Torts firing a few parting shots on his way out the door. Basically, Tortorella, who also coached the Rangers, was tired of the Flyers’ rebuilding process and the way several players were moved at the trade deadline.

Philadelphia and The Process? AmIRight? Tanking doesn’t work.

The truth is that the Flyers have started to put together a young core, which is what they have to do, but it will take some time. Flyers rookie winger Matvei Michkov is a contender for the Calder Trophy. He has 58 points, and looks like he will be in this league a while.

For the Rangers, it just hasn’t worked this season. They started 12-4 and looked like the best team in the East, then lost 15 of their next 19 games. Igor Shesterkin has had the worst season of his career in net allowing 2.89 goals a game.

The Flyers look reborn, while New York has lost their last two games 9-1. Take Philly.

Flyers vs Rangers Odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM. Get ready for the NBA playoffs with our best BetMGM bonus.

New York is favored by 1.5-goals at home. New York beat the Flyers 6-1 back in January.

Philly is 3-6-1 in its last 10 games against the spread, the Rangers are also 3-6-1. Both teams are also weirdly 36-39-2 over/under this season. There’s not that much separating these two teams right now.

The Flyers’ last two games have hit the under. Four of the Rangers’ last five games have ticked the over.

I see the best moneyline bet on the Flyers is +160 at DraftKings. For the Rangers, I can get -189 at Caesars.

Flyers vs Rangers Prediction

Philly has won three of its last four games, but is 0-5-1 in its last six road games. The Flyers rank 24th in the NHL in goals scored and 27th in goals allowed. But they are playing freer now without Tortorella on the bench.

Travis Konecny has a point in his last four games for Philly. He’s been the Flyers’ best player this season with 74 points.

New York has played up and down to the level of competition all season. Artemi Panarin has 34 goals and 83 points, and Vincent Trocheck has 52 points, but defensively, the Rangers have fallen apart.

I see this as a low-scoring game, with the Rangers coming out tight. The Flyers have nothing to lose, and that will make them hard to beat.