Rangers vs Hurricanes Odds – August 1

• The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers play on Saturday, August 1, 2020
• The Rangers beat Carolina in regulation all four times they played this season
• See the odds and best bet for tonight’s game, which sees Carolina as the favorites

The Hurricanes vs Rangers odds have Carolina at -129 to win their first qualifying round matchup against the New York Rangers on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 12:00 pm EST. This is the first of a best-of-five series between these division rivals that’ll determine who advances onto the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals. Whoever loses enters the 2020 NHL Draft lottery for a chance to win this year’s first overall pick.

Although Carolina finished with a better record, the Rangers won all four games these two teams played against each other this season, outscoring the Hurricanes 17-9. Although the 2020 NHL playoffs’ Eastern Conference games will all be played in Toronto, Carolina has been rendered the “home” team for this series.

Hurricanes vs Rangers Odds

Odds taken July  28

Hurricanes Could Be Without Two of Top Defensemen

Last Wednesday, Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton left practice with an undisclosed injury, whose severity the team is keeping close to their chests. As of writing this piece, Hamilton hasn’t practiced with the team since, and his availability for Saturday afternoon’s contest remains unclear.

I’m hearing Dougie Hamilton’s injury is NOT a re-aggravation of his broken leg and timetable for return is in the realm of weeks not months. So not great news but could be way worse.

— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) July 25, 2020

In addition to potentially being without Hamilton, defenseman Brett Pesce remains sidelined with an upper-body injury he sustained back in February. Although Carolina included him on their playoff roster, Pesce currently won’t join the team.

The Rangers Won All Four Games Against Carolina This Season

Despite having the inferior record, New York swept their four-game season series against Carolina in 2019-2020, nearly outscoring them by a 2:1 ratio. Forwards Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad combined for seven goals and 16 points against the Hurricanes this season.

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist won the first three games (which were played in November and December), while rookie netminder Igor Shesterkin started in the final contest. Although Shesterkin has largely inherited the reins as starting netminder, the Rangers have an interesting decision to make on who should get the nod in Saturday’s game.

Carolina is the Superior Possession Team

One of the most polarized stats these two teams have when compared against each other are advanced stats in categories like possession and scoring chances. While the Hurricanes finish top six at five-on-five in categories like Corsi-For (3^rd), Fenwick (3^rd), Shots For (3^rd), Scoring Chances For (4^th), and High Danger Scoring Chances (6^th), the Rangers respectively finish 28^th, 28^th, 21^st, 26^th, and 26^th in each of those categories.

Overall at five-on-five, the Hurricanes were one of the league’s top possession teams, whereas New York was among the league’s worst. However, the Rangers dominated in CF, FF, SF, xGF (expected goals), SCF, and HDCF at five-on-five in their season series against the Hurricanes.

Best Bets

The Hurricanes and Rangers are two young teams on the rise that made significant strides this season. Despite being one of the league’s top possession teams at five-on-five and finishing with more points, Carolina and New York’s record are very similar, and it’s difficult to overlook how dominant the Rangers were against them this season.

While the odds favor Carolina, the stats lean heavily toward New York. Take advantage of the Ranger’s underdog odds, especially if they go with Henrik Lundqvist as their starter.

The Pick: New York Rangers (+112)