Game six of the Eastern Conference Final is tonight as the Tampa Bay Lightning are back on home ice, hoping to win the series tonight against the New York Rangers. The Rangers won the first two games, but the Lightning put on the burners and won games three, four, and five, to give them a 3-2 lead on the series. Can they close it out tonight and move on to the Stanley Cup Final for the third year in a row, or will the Rangers fight back in this series on the road before bringing it back home for game seven? 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 (-166) (+158 ML)

Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+138) (-194 ML)

Over: 5.5 (+116)

Under: 5.5 (-142)

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Why The Rangers Can Cover The Spread/Win

The New York Rangers started off the series on the right foot, winning both games one and two, but their offense trailed off in the next couple of games and couldn't find their momentum. After losing game three on the road, I think fans knew there was a problem. The Lightning were looking good, and the Rangers couldn't stop their offense. With that said, goaltender Igor Shesterkin will of course have the spotlight on him once again as he is playing up to his standards so far in this series.

Considering he's a top-two goaltender in the world, he gets a ton of credit, but his team isn't bailing him out on the offensive side of things. He's holding an incredible .939 save percentage right now, but it doesn't matter if his team can't produce. I think the Rangers are close to a Stanley Cup, they've found their goalie for the next 12 years, they just need to find that offensive pressure to bring the Cup to New York.

Why The Lightning Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Tampa Bay Lightning are used to this kind of pressure, going down 2-0 early in the series but clawing their way back up to a 3-2 lead as they head back home to try and finish it out. The Bolts can credit a lot of their success to their constant offensive pressure, forcing other teams to make mistakes and capitalizing on them. However, this entire series has been about goaltending as the top two goalies in the world fight for their team to win the cup. Andrei Vasilevskiy has proven himself before, with back-to-back cup wins, and he's proving himself again in this series, showing a .937 save percentage right now. As long as the Bolts' offense can continue to keep possession and put pucks on the net, the Lightning should be able to put this series away tonight before facing off against Colorado in the Stanley Cup Final.

Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction & Pick

The Lightning are going to win this game, and the series, no doubt, especially at home. With that said, I don't like their odds tonight. It's the safe bet, but we're out here to make money, not play it safe. Another safe bet would be under 5.5 total goals. This series has been all about the goaltending from both sides and it does not disappoint. But again, we're out here to make some money. Call me crazy, but the Moneyline Total Goals Parlay for the Lightning and the Under is sitting at a nice price of +230, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the Rangers aren't going to go down without a fight and could very well take this to overtime. If they do, good on them, honestly.

Final Rangers-Lightning Prediction and Pick: Moneyline Total Goals Parlay – Lightning and Under (+230)