NHL odds, preview, prediction: Rangers vs. Blue Jackets for Sunday, Feb. 25

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets Odds

Sunday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

New York Rangers

New York was already having a great campaign before its latest hot streak, and the Rangers are now 39-16-3, putting them in contention for the Presidents' Trophy. By contrast, the 18-28-10 Blue Jackets rank 29th in the league, so from that perspective, this game couldn't be much more lopsided.

At least the Blue Jackets will likely be spared Rangers starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is red hot with a 6-0-0 record, 1.84 GAA and .951 save percentage over his last six games. Shesterkin started Thursday and Saturday, so the Rangers will almost certainly give him a breather. However, while facing Shesterkin would have been the tougher option for the Blue Jackets, getting Jonathan Quick instead isn't exactly a vacation. The 38-year-old netminder has a 13-4-2 record, 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage across 20 contests.

Columbus will also still have to contend with the Rangers' offense, which is tied for ninth at 3.34 goals per game. Former Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is having the best campaign of his career with 32 goals and 78 points in 58 contests, and he's backed up by Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, who have each crossed the 50-point milestone.

Playing on the second half of a back-to-back won't necessarily slow the Rangers down either. They're actually 9-0-0 while averaging a stunning 4.67 goals per contest when playing on no days of rest. The Rangers are also dominant on the road with a 19-9-3 record, so the location probably won't help the Blue Jackets either.

New York Rangers

New York was already having a great campaign before its latest hot streak, and the Rangers are now 39-16-3, putting them in contention for the Presidents' Trophy. By contrast, the 18-28-10 Blue Jackets rank 29th in the league, so from that perspective, this game couldn't be much more lopsided.

At least the Blue Jackets will likely be spared Rangers starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is red hot with a 6-0-0 record, 1.84 GAA and .951 save percentage over his last six games. Shesterkin started Thursday and Saturday, so the Rangers will almost certainly give him a breather. However, while facing Shesterkin would have been the tougher option for the Blue Jackets, getting Jonathan Quick instead isn't exactly a vacation. The 38-year-old netminder has a 13-4-2 record, 2.36 GAA and .917 save percentage across 20 contests.

Columbus will also still have to contend with the Rangers' offense, which is tied for ninth at 3.34 goals per game. Former Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin is having the best campaign of his career with 32 goals and 78 points in 58 contests, and he's backed up by Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, who have each crossed the 50-point milestone.

Playing on the second half of a back-to-back won't necessarily slow the Rangers down either. They're actually 9-0-0 while averaging a stunning 4.67 goals per contest when playing on no days of rest. The Rangers are also dominant on the road with a 19-9-3 record, so the location probably won't help the Blue Jackets either.

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets

Betting Pick & Prediction

Whenever there's a significant discrepancy between two teams, it's tempting to look for ways to justify chasing the big potential payday that could come with taking the underdog, but in this case, I just don't see the Blue Jackets' path to victory. Of course, it could still happen, but given the gap between these two teams and the Rangers' established ability to thrive on no rest, the chances of a Columbus victory seem low.

For that reason, I recommend taking the Rangers on the puck line, where the spread is 1.5 goals in Columbus' favor. If you're looking for an alternative bet, consider that Panarin tends to excel against Columbus (10 goals and 23 points in 16 career games), so he would be an interesting choice as an anytime goal scorer.

Pick: Rangers Puck Line (+128 at FanDuel; Play down to +115)