The New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet in NHL action from the Amalie Arena on Saturday night. A battle of Eastern Conference Heavyweights on Saturday, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and find out with our Rangers vs. Lightning Prediction.
New York Rangers Team Preview
The New York Rangers come into this one looking to rebound from a 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers in their last matchup. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 47 points including team-highs of 20 goals and 27 assists while Chris Kreider has 32 points with 17 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 29 points as well with 21 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 36 points with 22 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 14-7 with a 2.77 GAA and a .908 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 9-2-1 with a 2.41 GAA and a .916 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Team Facts
- The Rangers have won four of their last five games as underdogs.
- The Rangers have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in 19 of the Rangers’ last 22 games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Rangers have won the third period in four of their last five games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this one looking to rebound from a 3-2 loss to the same Florida Panthers team in their last matchup. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 58 points including a team-high 24 goals and 34 assists while Brayden Point has 16 goals and 22 assists for his 38 points. Victor Hedman’s added 34 points with 29 assists while Steven Stamkos has 35 points with 20 assists and Brandon Hagel has 29 points split between 10 goals and 19 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 8-6-5 with a 3.47 GAA and an .891 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 8-6 with a 2.78 GAA and an .907 save percentage this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts
- The home team has won eight of the last nine games between the Rangers and Lightning.
- The Lightning have covered the puck line in each of their last four games at Amalie Arena against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Lightning have won the third period in each of their last nine Saturday games as home favorites.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Lightning’s last six games following a loss.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 3rd in the league in power play percentage this season (29.57%).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 1st in the league for power play goals this season (34).
- The New York Rangers rank 1st in the league in power play percentage this season (30.56%).
- The New York Rangers are one of three teams to rank in the top 10 for both goals scored and goals conceded per game this season.
Rangers vs. Lightning Prediction
I’m rocking with the under in this game. This just feels like a heavyweight tilt like I alluded to in the open and I’m anticipating a goalie matchup of Shesterkin vs. Vasilevskiy in this one which is worth the price of admission in its own right. This just has all the makings of a first to 3 wins kind of game, a goaltending duel if we even make it to 3 goals on one side. Give me the under here.
