Rangers vs Devils Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NHL Playoffs Game 2 (Can New York Steal 2-0 Series Lead?)

The 2022-23 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Thursday, April 20, including Game 2 of the Eastern Conference's New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils series.

Rangers vs Devils Game 2 Info

• Series: Rangers lead 1-0
• Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Prudential Center -- Newark, New Jersey
• Coverage: MSGSN, TBS

Game 1 didn't even come close to going the way that New Jersey planned. The Rangers hardly broke a sweat in Tuesday's 5-1 victory, leaving the Devils embarrassed in front of their home fans. Veteran forward Chris Kreider led the charge for New York with two goals while goaltender Igor Shesterkin turned aside 27 of the 28 shots he faced.

Can the Rangers shock the hockey world by taking a 2-0 series lead? Or will the Devils bounce back, proving their latest loss won't define them?

Rangers vs Devils Odds & Spread

• All NHL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: NYR: (+106) | NJ: (-128)
• Spread: NYR: +1.5 (-230) | NJ: -1.5 (+188)
• Total: 5.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

The Devils enter this contest as home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 5.5 goals with the over being favored at -115 odds.

Rangers vs Devils Betting Trends

• The Rangers are 5-1 straight up in their last six games against the Metropolitan Division.
• New Jerseys is 5-1 straight up in its last six home games.
• The total has hit the under in seven of the Rangers' last 10 road games.
• The total has hit the over in four of New Jersey's last five games against the Rangers.

Rangers vs Devils Prediction & Pick

The Devils' lack of discipline led to their downfall in Game 1. For starters, they coughed up the puck 13 times, whereas the Rangers only finished with three giveaways. New Jersey also took three penalties, resulting in two New York power-play goals. It wasn't a shock to see the Rangers take advantage of those opportunities after finishing the regular season with the fourth-best PP unit.

Not only does the Devils' lack of discipline make them tough to trust, but so does Vitek Vanecek's play in goal. The Czech netminder allowed four goals on just 22 shots, resulting in his having an abysmal .895 save percentage in his last nine games against the Rangers. Continuing that level of play will make it tough to succeed in the playoffs.

After getting offense from the top to bottom of their lineup in Game 1, I like the Rangers' odds of capitalizing on their momentum. The Devils will have a better effort than they did on Tuesday, but it won't be enough.

Final Score Prediction: Rangers: 4 | Devils: 2

Rangers vs Devils Best Bet

Again, the Rangers have an incredibly deep team that's built for the playoffs. Kreider, Adam Fox, Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane all made their presence felt in Game 1 and I suspect it won't be long before the likes of Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck do the same. Shesterkin also gives them an advantage in goal.

The Devils are vulnerable and the Rangers' moneyline odds are close enough to even that I'm more than confident to back an outright upset.

Bet: Rangers to Win Outright (+106)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.