Tampa Bay Lightning (27-18-5) vs. New York Rangers (31-16-3)
February 7, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: New York Rangers -133 / Tampa Bay Lightning +108; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers meet in NHL action from Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Who comes out on top in this battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights? Let’s find out with our Lightning vs. Rangers Prediction.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this one looking to build on a three-game win streak after a 6-3 win over New Jersey last time out. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 85 points including a team-high 32 goals and 53 assists while Brayden Point has 25 goals and 29 assists for his 54 points. Victor Hedman’s added 50 points with 41 assists while Steven Stamkos has 47 points with 26 assists and Brandon Hagel has 43 points split between 16 goals and 27 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 10-6-5 with a 3.34 GAA and an .894 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 16-10 with a 2.85 GAA and an .899 save percentage this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts
- The Lightning have won eight of their last nine games.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last nine games at Madison Square Garden.
- The Lightning have won the third period in each of their last four games following a home win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last four night games at Madison Square Garden against opponents on a winning streak.
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New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers come into this one looking to build on a 2-1 OT win over Colorado last time out. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 67 points including team-highs of 31 goals and 36 assists while Chris Kreider has 45 points with 23 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 46 points as well with 31 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 47 points with 32 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 19-12-1 with a 2.86 GAA and an .899 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 11-4-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .918 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Rangers’ last four games.
- The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in 14 of their last 15 games as favorites following an overtime win.
- The underdogs have won the third period in each of the Rangers’ last four games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Rangers’ last eight games as favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
Lightning vs. Rangers Prediction
I’m backing the Rangers here. The Lightning were on one of their patented winning runs going into the all-star break, but the all-star break is where hot streaks go to die and the Rangers have already had a game to shake off the rust and looked really good defensively while doing it. I think the Rangers get it done once again so give me the New York Rangers in this one.
