There is a very familiar feeling about the 2024-2025 Rangers.

Just like last October, the Blueshirts have been shot out of a cannon and currently have the second-best points percentage (.917) in the NHL after six games.

The Rangers are the only team in the Eastern Conference and one of only three in the league without a regulation loss.

The formula for the Blueshirts also feels familiar.

The Rangers are shooting the lights out, they are dominant on special teams and their goaltending is elite.

The only criticism you can level at this team through two weeks – and it’s quite a bit – is that the schedule has been relatively soft, with their game in Toronto being the only one in which they weren’t the betting favourites.

However, the opposition will be quite stiff on Thursday night as the Blueshirts host the defending Stanley Cup champions at Madison Square Garden.

Rangers vs. Panthers Odds

The good news for the Rangers is that the Panthers are not yet at the peak of their powers.

Aleksander Barkov, the game’s best two-way center, is on the sidelines and the Cats have understandably felt the impact of that loss.

Florida has lost two of its last three games and is conceding 3.7 goals per game since Barkov left the lineup.

Some of that leakage is due to poor goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight early in the season, but it’s also due to an unusually suspect defense.

Betting on the NHL?

The expectation is that Florida’s back line will improve as we get deeper into the schedule, but the Cats are still trying to put together a new unit and the loss of Barkov as a security blanket against the opponent’s top players further complicates matters.

With the Rangers offense buzzing as it is and the Panthers struggling to find any form in their own zone, a play with the Blueshirts to not only win but also cover the puck line seems like a viable way to get some value can be found in the Garden on Thursday evening.

THE GAME: Rangers -1.5 goals (+180, FanDuel)

Why trust New York Post betting

Michael Leboff handicaps the EPL, NHL, golf and everything else that isn’t the NFL and NBA for the NY Post. He is up 49.73 units betting on EPL with an ROI of 7.17%.