Game four of the Eastern Conference Final will take place tonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning host the New York Rangers. The Rangers currently lead the series 2-1 after the Lightning stole game three in the final minute. Now that the Lightning are back home, we got ourselves a nice series in the making. With that said, it’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Rangers-Lightning prediction and pick.
Here are the Rangers-Lightning NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Rangers-Lightning Odds
New York Rangers: +1.5 (-182) (+146 ML)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+150) (-178 ML)
Over: 5.5 (+106)
Under: 5.5 (-130)
Why The Rangers Can Cover The Spread/Win
The New York Rangers are looking to increase their series lead tonight and put the Lightning on the hot seat, but they're going to have to try and do that without second-line center, Ryan Strome. He blocked a shot off his ankle in game three and looked like he'll be out for quite some time, but of course, that can all change at puck drop. The Rangers have looked really aggressive in the first two games, which is what they need to do against a strong Lightning team. Their special teams and goaltending (of course) are their top performances as goaltender Igor Shesterkin now holds a .930 save percentage throughout the playoffs so far. He'll look to guard the net yet again as this is a “can't lose” kind of game for the Rangers.
Why The Lightning Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Tampa Bay Lightning came back at home and won game three, putting them just one game behind the Rangers in the series now, but no need to fear as the Bolts are back home for game four and looking to tie it up. The main story for this Bolts team is of course their goaltending through Andrei Vasilevskiy, who showed that he's still got it after a long wait in between rounds.
The Rangers have the best powerplay in the postseason, but the Lightning have been far more efficient in this series: they're controlling the puck more in the last two games, they're getting more shots on net, and they're playing very aggressive – all of which is normal for a team like this. As long as they can keep the Rangers from controlling the puck as much as they did in games one and two, they have a good chance of winning this series.
Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction & Pick
Coming into this series, I picked the Lightning to steamroll the Rangers. I thought it would easily be the Lightning winning in five or six games. After the first two games, I still have faith in the Lightning, but the Rangers are looking good. I think this series goes to a game seven and it starts with a Lightning win tonight to tie up the series. I don't love the odds on this game, even though the over is a little enticing. This is a matchup of the two best goalies in the world, but for some reason, the over while it's in plus money is sticking out to me. I'm going to trust my gut and take the over, cause why not?
Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction and Pick: Over 5.5 (+106)
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