The New York Rangers square off with the Tampa Bay Lightning later this evening in a bout between two teams with lofty season expectations. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Rangers-Lightning prediction and pick will be revealed.
Coming off of a disappointing 4-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Capitals, New York now sits with a 19-12-5 record through the team's first 39 games of the year and currently trails the Hurricanes by nine points in the Metropolitan Division.
After giving up 11 goals in back-to-back games that resulted in two straight losses, the Lightning were able to right the ship and get things turned in the right direction with an impressive 4-1 win over the Canadiens. In comparison to New York, Tampa Bay has managed to secure a slightly better record this season with a 21-11-1 record.
Here are the Rangers-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Rangers-Lightning Odds
New York Rangers: +1.5 (-220)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+176)
Over: 6 (+104)
Under: 6 (-128)
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
Nearing the end of last year's season, it happened to be the Rangers and the Lightning who were the last two teams standing in the Eastern Conference a year ago. After the Rangers were bested by the eventual three-time conference champs in the Lightning after six hard-fought games, it was New York who managed to prevail over their “rivals” with a convincing 3-1 victory dating back on Oct. 11th. With two and a half months passed since there is no doubt the Rangers would love to continue to seek revenge for last year's shortcomings.
In order to cover the spread as +1.5 goal underdogs, it is hard to argue against the fact that New York must remain as the aggressor for the majority of this contest. Clearly, New York is currently in a predicament that sees them as a middle-of-the-pack squad out east, but they sit only a few gritty wins away from returning to contention, Simply put, it will be vital for New York to involve center Mike Zibanejad in the game plan from the jump. Throughout the season thus far, Zibanejad has served as the focal point of this Rangers offense and was a thorn in Tampa Bay's side a season ago where he accounted for four goals that also included a shootout winner.
Not to mention, but the Rangers will always be in every game they play when goalie Igor Shesterkin is starting in net. In the home opener versus the Lightning this year, Shesterkin served as a human wall with 25 saves on the night as he flustered and frustrated Tampa Bay for the majority of the contest. Receiving this type of goaltending from one of the top net-minders in the sport would go a long way in giving the Rangers a covering of the spread.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
Alas. there is a reason why the Tampa Bay Lightning entered the season as three-time Eastern Conference defending champs, and even if they are missing a couple of integral players from those teams, they are still just as lethal as ever.
At first glance, it all starts on the offensive end of the ice, as Tampa Bay has punished their opposition to the beat of 3.64 goals per game, which as of now ranks as the third-best mark in all of hockey. N0t only does Tampa know how to put the puck in the net, but they also excel at fending off opponents' power-play opportunities. Only 20% of extra-man attacks have proved to be successful for Tampa's enemies on the frontline as the Lightning halted all five of Montreal's power plays since the Lightning don't often commit penalties themselves, limiting the damage the Rangers can do with their penalty attack may prove to be the difference in this one.
In addition, while most teams would hold a hefty advantage with someone like Shesterkin in net, the Lightning are one of the few squads in the league that match up with Igor. With that being said, be on the lookout for Andrei Vasilevskiy to once again remind the hockey world why he is one of today's more automatic goalies. In his last start, Vasilevskiy straight-up toyed with the Canadiens on his way to 25 saves on 26 shot attempts. Although his overall statistics this season haven't been near the top of the league like he is accustomed to, sneaking one past the 28-year-old Russian has always been a tough task.
Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning are starting to click on all cylinders, but after playing last night and coming into this one on short rest, it will prove to be difficult to defeat a not-too-shabby Rangers team by more than one goal.
Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Rangers +1.5 (-220)
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