NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 24: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers skates against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden on October 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers look to bounce back after a 7-3 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

New York is 37-36-7 and sits sixth in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention and will aim to finish their final two games with solid play. They can still play a spoiler role in the Florida Panthers' playoff positioning.

Florida is 47-29-4 and third in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers have won three straight and can still catch the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place in the division. Florida is set to face Tampa Bay in the First Round, but a shift in seeding would give the Panthers a home-ice advantage. Their defense has been trending in the right direction.

Spread

Rangers +1.5 (-170)
Panthers -1.5 (+160)

Moneyline

Rangers +147
Panthers -160

Total

OVER 5.5 (-115)
UNDER 5.5 (+100)

*The above data was collected on April 14, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Rangers vs Panthers Betting Trends

The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Rangers' last 8 games.
NY Rangers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games.
NY Rangers are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games against Florida.
Florida is 10-1 SU in their last 11 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Florida's last 13 games when playing at home against NY Rangers.
Florida is 11-5 SU in their last 16 games played in April.

Rangers vs Panthers Injury Reports

New York Rangers

Braden Schneider, D - Out
Arthur Kaliyev, RW - Out
Adam Edstrom, C - Injured Reserve

Florida Panthers

Dmitry Kulikov, D - Day-to-day
Aleksander Barkov, C - Day-to-day
Sam Reinhart, C - Day-to-day
Tomas Nosek, LW - Day-to-day
Sam Bennett, C - Out
Matthew Tkachuk, LW - Injured Reserve

Rangers vs Panthers Predictions and Picks

The Rangers face the Panthers in this Metropolitan vs. Atlantic Division matchup. New York is 4-5-1 in its last ten games and has a goal differential of minus five. Lately, the offense has been inconsistent, and the defense has allowed four or more goals in four of the last five games. The Rangers rank 12th in scoring but sit 27th on the power play.

In the loss to Carolina, New York gave up two or more goals in every period. At one point, the Rangers trailed 5-1 and cut the deficit to 5-3, but the Hurricanes pulled away again. The Rangers outshot Carolina 31-28 and went 1-for-2 on the power play. They need to limit giveaways and set the tone offensively.

The Panthers are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and have recently played in several low-scoring contests. Seven straight games have hit the under, and Florida has allowed two goals or fewer in four consecutive games. The Panthers are finding ways to win tight games, a positive trend heading into the playoffs. Florida ranks 13th in scoring and is among the top ten in special teams play.

In their last game, Florida defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in a shootout. Buffalo led 1-0 after the first period. The Panthers responded with two goals in the second and then gave up the tying goal in the third. Florida excelled in shots, faceoff wins, and hits but surrendered two power-play goals. The Panthers will look to clean up their penalty kill and continue capitalizing on favorable puck luck.

Michael GaraventaWriter