The NHL Playoffs continue Thursday night in Game 6 between the visiting New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils. The NHL Playoff odds for the game have the Devils favored at -120 (Risk $120 to win $100). The game is scheduled for a 8:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on NBC Sports Network. The odds show that bookmakers have a prediction of a closeout home win for the Devils.
Picks: If we went by the favorite in every sport and every event, there would obviously be no reason to compete. I suppose that's why they play the game, in other words. There's no doubt that this rivalry has boiled over and now that one win for New Jersey puts them in the Stanley Cup Finals, it heightens tonight's contest even more. Rangers fans will be remembering the days of old tonight. Some 18 years ago, Mark Messier guaranteed a New York win over the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 6. The Rangers won that game and went on to win the Stanley Cup Finals as well. Messier recorded a hat trick in the Game 6 win and went down in infamy. New York is down 3-2 in the series again in this series and playing in New Jersey. The Rangers were the top seed in the East then and are the top seed once again this year. However, they don't have a Messier-type leader on this team. New Jersey has proven on a game-by-game basis that they are just as talented and good as their rivals, who were favorites to win the series. Now that doesn't matter, at least for tonight's game. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is the only player on either team remaining from that series back in 1994. He has come up huge for the Devils in the playoffs and this post-season, winning 11 games and holding a goals against average just over 2.0 while saving 92 percent of the shots he faces. He's going to be a big time reason New Jersey wins or loses this game. The Devils are hoping history doesn't repeat itself while New York is banking on it.
Prediction: I think this series goes to a seventh and deciding game. I'm not basing that on history, but rather the Rangers winning a game they MUST have. New York finished with the top spot in the East this season by scoring goals — something they've been able to do against the Devils. Now they have to score goals and keep the Devils from doing so as well. These teams split the previous two games in New Jersey and neither one of those games were close, as each team won by three goals in their victory. That's not going to happen tonight. This is going to be a tough, hard fought win for whichever team. I think the Rangers, with their backs against the wall, get that win tonight. Rangers 3, Devils 2
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