The 2/7 NHL free pick is a tale of two teams heading in different directions. Boston is playing some of their best hockey of the season, inching closer to catching Tampa Bay atop the Eastern Conference and having a legitimate shot at the President’s Trophy with the league’s highest point total. The Rangers on the other hand are in a free fall and see their playoff window close a bit with every loss. Tonight the two squads face off with Boston a much-expected -140 favorite.
The hottest team in the NHL welcomes Brad Marchand back to the lineup tonight against the Rangers. The Bruins went 4-1-0 w/o Marchand, who ranks 1st in the league in points-per-game. Pregame from MSG starts at 7:30 @985TheSportsHub
— Judd Sirott (@Judd_Sirott) February 7, 2018
Boston Playing on Back-to-Back Nights
Nearly 70% of the public is betting on the Bruins tonight as there is good value at -140. The only reason oddsmakers haven’t set the line higher is because Boston will be playing their second road game in as many nights after a 3-2 victory in Detroit yesterday. The Bruins are a solid 14-5-2 on the road this year, but are 3-4 on the second leg of back-to-back contests.
Boston has won 8 of their last 10 but one major advantage that the Rangers have tonight is that Tuuka Rask will not be in net after getting the start last night. Rask is 19-0-2 since the end of November but Anton Khubodin is expected to get the nod in the 2/7 NHL free pick. Khubodiin hasn’t been as sharp going 5-3-2 over his last 10 starts but he should be fresh after not having played for a week. The Bruins also get Brad Marchand back after a five game suspension which will give their #1 defense and #5 offense a boost.
The Rangers Should Have Confidence Tonight
It’s basically coming down to now or never time for the Rangers who have lost six of their last seven. The being said the Rangers are just four points out from a wild card spot and a playoff berth so there’s no reason to give up…yet. The Rangers traditionally own the Bruins at the Garden as well, going 20-7 at home in the last 27 meetings. New York has also won the last 7 head to head meetings regardless of location so Rivalry Night should be hopping on Wednesday.
Henrik Lundqvist is in net for the Rangers in the 2/7 NHL free pick. He’s just 2-6 in his last eight decisions but has traditionally performed well against the B’s. In fact, the New York goalie boasts a 27-12-2 career record against Boston with a .936 save percentage and a 1.93 goals against average. Will a night off for the Rangers be enough of an edge to take down the Bruins who are playing their second game in as many nights?
NHL on NBCSN: Bruins, Rangers heading in opposite directions https://t.co/5ILgXQDoik
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 7, 2018
2/7 NHL Free Pick – Betting
There’s definite value on either side of the ice tonight. Paying a -140 line for the 4th best team in the NHL is a great price but at the same time so is +120 for the home team that has won seven straight contests in the series. One of the reasons New York has struggled is because they’ve played 10 of 15 games on the road since January 1st. They’ve got a decent 17-9-1 record on their own ice which should improve tonight.
Free Pick: New York Rangers +120
