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Carrie Stroup here and I have your Rangers-Devils line for Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Finals where the Devils look to put away New York. Eligible customers may receive up to $250 in FREE CASH from Sportsbook here.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: New Jersey -120 & 4.5 over -120
The Devils look to finish off the top-seeded Rangers and make their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2003 when they host Game 6 of the East Finals on Friday night in Jersey.
As if the similarities to 1994 weren’t eerie enough, the Devils now enter into the exact same situation that befell them 18 years ago. The Devils head back to the Prudential Center with a 3-2 series lead after winning one of the most exciting games of the playoffs on Wednesday night in New York. After jumping out to an incredible 3-0 start in the first period, the Rangers clawed all the way back to tie it in the third—the second three-goal lead the Devils have blown in these playoffs. But despite getting outshot and outworked for the better part of the last two periods, the Devils got a huge goal from fourth-line grinder Ryan Carter in front of Henrik Lundqvist’s crease with under five minutes left. Zach Parise would add an empty netter to cap off a tremendous and perplexing 5-3 win. The 3-0 deficit was a blessing in disguise for the Rangers, who fell victim to their own system by playing passively on offense. The adversity in Game 5 forced the Blueshirts out of their defensive shell, helping New York rediscover much of what made the club so successful throughout the regular season. The bad news for the Rangers: their MVP looks to be running cold. Lundqvist has allowed seven goals in his past two games after giving up just three tallies in the previous three. New York head coach John Tortorella admitted that his team played its best game of the series on Wednesday, but the fact that the Rangers were still unable to pick up the win speaks volumes.
Lundqvist isn’t the only New York star slumping in this series: top line center Brad Richards has been unusually silent too. After leading the Rangers with six goals and five assists through their first two series, Richards has only three assists this round. The 32-year-old Canadian pivot has a knack for scoring big goals—he scored arguably the biggest goal of the playoffs against the Capitals—but if he doesn’t show up in Game 6, it could be lights out in the Big Apple.
With the win on Wednesday, the Devils handed the Rangers their first set of back-to-back losses since Games 4 and 5 of the Ottawa series back in the first round. New Jersey had a 3-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the first period, but generated very little offense thereafter. The Devs won despite being outplayed, but it’s hard to win in the playoffs without victories like that—just ask the Rangers.
Head coach Peter DeBoer’s line shifting continues to pay dividends, as Jersey captain Zach Parise continued his tear on Wednesday notching the empty net goal and adding an assist. Parise leads the Devils in scoring this series with three goals and three assists, as the offensive firepower of New Jersey finally appears to be wearing down a fatigued and overworked Rangers blueline.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
