We like the New York Rangers to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday for a number of reasons. Here are some of the more important ones:

It's game one of the season, and the Penguins are already have some injury troubles. Erik Karlsson will play, but he missed all of preseason. Bryan Rust will be out for this game and he's a big part in this Pittsburgh foward line. NYR has a couple of injuries too. But, they are a deep enough team that it shouldn't bother them.

The Rangers made the playoffs last season (ECF appearance.) The Penguins did not.

New York returns practically their entire squad for last year, while Pittsburgh is quite different all around.

The Rangers have won four of the past five meetings between these two teams.

Pittsburgh began last season with a loss against Chicago. We're expecting them to lose again this year in a much more difficult matchup.

Even on the road, the Rangers are superior between the pipes, defensively, and offensively. Look for them to get off to a 1-0-0 start.

AAA Sports