Rangers vs Lightning Prediction 4/17/25 NHL Picks Today

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers meet Thursday in NHL action from Madison Square Garden. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Rangers vs Lightning Prediction.

Matchup History

The Tampa Bay Lightning have won both meetings between these two teams this season, first grabbing a 6-2 win in Tampa Bay on December 28^th, 2024, before picking up a 5-1 win in this same building just eight days ago. The wins have made it three in a row for Tampa Bay in this head-to-head matchup.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recap

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game looking to add on to their 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in their last game to improve to 47-26-8 on the year.

Lightning Win Back-To-Back Games

Nikita Kucherov leads the Bolts with 121 points including a team-high 37 goals and 84 assists while Brandon Hagel has 90 points with 35 goals and 55 assists and Anthony Cirelli has 59 points of his own with 27 goals and 32 assists. Brayden Point has 82 points with 42 goals and 40 assists while Victor Hedman has 66 points with 51 assists. Jake Guentzel also has 80 points with 41 goals and 39 assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone 38-20-5 with a 2.18 GAA and a .921 save percentage while Jonas Johansson has gone 9-5-3 with a 3.08 GAA and an .898 save percentage on the year in goal for Tampa Bay.

Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win

• The Rangers have lost each of their last five games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Lightning have won each of their last eight night games following a home win.
• The Rangers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last eight night games at Madison Square Garden.
• The Lightning have covered the puck line in each of their last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.

Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts

• Nikita Kucherov has recorded at least one point in each of the Lightning’s last 13 games against the Rangers.
• Jake Guentzel has scored at least one goal in five of his last six appearances with his team as a road underdog against the Rangers.
• Nikita Kucherov has recorded at least one assist in each of the Lightning’s last six games at Madison Square Garden.

New York Rangers Recap

The New York Rangers come into this game looking to build on their 5-3 road win over the Florida Panthers last time out to improve to 38-36-7 on the year.

Rangers Trying To Finish Season On High Note

Artemi Panarin has a team-high 89 points with 37 goals and 52 assists while Alexis Lafreniere has 45 points with 17 goals and 28 assists on the year. Adam Fox has 51 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 59 points with 18 goals and 41 assists and Will Cuylle’s added 44 points with 20 goals and 24 assists. Vincent Trocheck’s also chipped in 58 points with 25 goals and 33 assists for the Rangers this season. In goal for the Rangers, Igor Shesterkin is 26-29-5 with a 2.91 GAA and a .903 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 11-7-2 with a 3.17 GAA and an .893 save percentage this season. Louis Domingue is also 1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .926 save percentage so far this season.

Why the New York Rangers will win

• The Lightning have lost each of their last nine games as road underdogs following a win.
• The favorites have won 11 of the last 12 games between the Lightning and Rangers.
• The favorites have covered the puck line in each of the Lightning’s last five games at Madison Square Garden.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six games at Madison Square Garden following a win.

New York Rangers Player Prop Facts

• Artemi Panarin has scored a goal in seven of the Rangers’ last eight games as home favorites.
• Adam Fox has recorded an assist in each of his last seven appearances with the Rangers as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Artemi Panarin has recorded at least one point in each of the Rangers’ last 10 night games at Madison Square Garden.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Rangers’ last seven night games have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Lightning’s last five games have gone OVER the total goals line.

Rangers vs Lightning Prediction

I’m on the Rangers here. I think health should be the #1 priority for the Lightning in this game, knowing that they’re hosting the Florida Panthers for game one of a rivalry playoff series in a couple of days. I honestly think that’s where their focus will be. The Rangers have had a disappointing season after such a high bar set from last year, and I think that they’ll want to send the fans home happy with some optimism for next season. Give me the Rangers here.