NHL Betting Match-Up - New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

The New York Rangers are off to a hot start to its NHL wagering season, going 5-1-0 to start its 2008-09 campaign, a record good enough to put them atop the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a 1-1-1 start which has them tied for third place in the Northeast Division.

The Rangers are still playing with sad hearts after the loss of prospect Alexei Cherepanov in a Russian league game. The 19 year old prospect collapsed suddenly on the bench in a game for Avangard Omsk next to teammate Jaromir Jagr (a player Ranger fans and Ranger bettors alike are sure to remember). While many in the Rangers organization and on the coaching staff looked forward to bringing Cherepanov to the States, some speculated that he could have made the team this year, those dreams are now regretfully gone.

On a more positive note for the Rangers, their hot start has been fueled by an offense that is averaging 2.83 goals per game this season and backed by a defense that is only allowing 1.83 goals per game. LW Aaron Voros and C Brandon Dubinsky are tied for the team lead in scoring with seven points each thus far in 2008 with team leader Scott Gomez not too far behind with five points. Thanks in large part to their offense, the Rangers are 5-1 ATS against the NHL betting line for Rangers gamblers in ‘08.

Three time Vezina Trophy finalist G Henrik Lundqvist is again proving why he is one of the top goaltenders in the league and is first in wins with 4, third in GAA with a 1.61 average, and fourth in the NHL with a save percentage of .932. With those numbers it seems obvious that pro hockey gamblers who bet on games to go under the‘total’ have benefited with Lundqvist, and indeed they have with the under cashing at 60% clip per the closing NHL wagering odds so far this season.

The Maple Leafs might consider themselves to be lucky to be 1-1-1 at this point, having given up five more goals than they’ve scored in its first three games. No Maple Leaf has scored more than two points thus far and five players are tied for the team lead, one of the reasons why they own a pro hockey wagering record of just 1-2 ATS.

Some NHL betting trends to be aware of in this game are that nine of the last twelve games between these two teams have gone over the ‘total’. the Rangers are on a five game winning streak both SU and ATS, and the Maple Leafs are 7-2 SU for NHL moneyline bettors over their last nine road games.

The pro hockey odds have the Rangers sitting as lofty -215 moneyline favorites in this game with the ‘total’ set at 5.5 goals shaded toward the under at -130 odds. BetUS Sportsbook is the place to bet this game and wager on the NHL this 2008-09 hockey season. With lines and totals for every hockey game, BetUS Sportsbook is the gambler’s best friend for all hockey betting.