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Game one of the Eastern Conference Final kicks off tonight in New York City as the Rangers will host the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers are coming off of yet another game seven win over the Hurricanes while the Lightning have been resting up after sweeping the Panthers in four games. Who's going to start the series off strong with a win tonight? It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Lightning-Rangers prediction and pick.
Here are the Lightning-Rangers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Lightning-Rangers Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+195) (-130 ML)
New York Rangers: +1.5 (-240) (+108 ML)
Over: 5.5 (-104)
Under: 5.5 (-118)
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Why The Lightning Can Cover The Spread/Win
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The Tampa Bay Lightning enter this matchup as heavy favorites to win the series even though they don't have home-ice advantage. After sweeping the Panthers, the Bolts have been resting up for eight days now, which then brings on the classic “rest vs rust” arguments. Of course, the main story arch here is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who put up an absurd .981 save percentage in the second round (.932 through the entire playoffs so far), only allowing one or fewer goals in each of the four games. He'll of course look to shut down a patient Rangers team. Another big story for this game is the health of Brayden Point, who is rumored to possibly be out for the entire series. The Bolts can certainly score without him, but it's a massive loss to the offense.
Why The Rangers Can Cover The Spread/Win
The New York Rangers have pulled off yet another game seven victory as they continue to roll into the conference final, riding on the coattails of goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Let's be honest, the only reason the Rangers have made it this far in the playoffs is because of Shesterkin, as their offense certainly hasn't been the reason. Shesterkin is showing a .928 save percentage through the playoffs so far and will continue to get better. The Rangers are coming into this game on just one day of rest, but at least they get a home-ice advantage for this series. The biggest problem that the Rangers are going to face is their offense. They're a very slow-paced and methodical team, but as long as they can keep playing well on defense, they have an opportunity to capitalize on the Lightning mistakes.
Final Lightning-Rangers Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a battle of the goaltenders, where whoever lets in the first goal will probably lose. These are the two best goalies in the league going head-to-head and I think simply because of that, it'll be a very defensive and tight series. The main difference is that the Lightning are a fast-paced team, that will continuously put pucks on the net, while the Rangers are a very slow-paced team, looking for those perfect opportunities before shooting the puck. Both strategies work, but the aggressiveness in the playoffs is what will win you games.
Based on that, give me the Lightning to win the series in five games, possibly six if Shesterkin steals a couple at home, starting with a Lightning win tonight. I also wouldn't put it past them to keep it under the total amount of goals, simply because these are the two best goaltenders in the world – something to keep in mind as you're betting throughout this series.
Final Lightning-Rangers Prediction and Pick: Lightning Moneyline (-130)
