Predicted Score: Rangers 3 – Lightning 1
NHL Pick: Rangers ML (-115) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Picks Summary:
- Rangers ML (-115)
- Under 6 (-108)
Only three games on this limited NHL slate tonight but we’ve got our eyes on the Broadway Blueshirts as they appear poised to douse the Lightning.
Let’s review the NHL odds on this contest and keep cashing our NHL picks!
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers
Wednesday, April 05, 2023 – 07:30 PM EDT at Madison Square Garden
Lightning Looking for No. 4
After dropping four straight and appearing to fall out of the race for second place behind the Maple Leafs, the Lightning has gotten back on track with three consecutive wins, two of which were against quality opponents.
A 4-0 shutout of the Metropolitan-leading Hurricanes followed by a 5-1 win over the Capitals and, most recently, a 5-0 blanking of the Islanders illustrates that the Lightning appears poised to make a run at the Leafs over the last five games of the season in order to gain home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
However, Toronto not only holds a four-point lead but also has a game in hand which likely makes this a case of too-little-too-late. Nevertheless, their recent play has been impressive and their shutout of the Isles had as much to do with the stellar play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who turned aside all of New York’s 38 shots, rather than the five lamplighters by the Tampa Bay offense.
The Lightning’s first-round pairing with the Maple Leafs has already been decided but the Lightning has been a different team at the Amalie Arena where they have produced the second-best home record in the league at 27-7-5. Yet, Tampa’s highway woes have been well documented as they enter Wednesday night’s meeting in the Big Apple with an 18-19-1 mark.
Rangers Happy to Be Home
The Rangers had reeled off seven wins in eight games before they took a quick trip across the bridge to meet the Devils in New Jersey on Thursday of last week. It was a defensive battle but the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead that would hold up even after Chris Kreider deposited his 33rd goal of the season on the power play in the middle frame resulting in a 2-1 win for New Jersey.
But the Blueshirts had to pack up and fly to Buffalo for a game the following night which is never a good spot for a team having to play the second leg of back-to-backs. To make things worse, this game was stretched to overtime where the Sabres came away with a 3-2 extra innings victory.
In the third game of their three-game road trip, the Rangers suited up two days later and handed the Capitals a 5-2 loss as K’Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Mika Zibanejad (power play) all buried the biscuit in the victory.
Team Trends
- Rangers are 5-1 in their last 6 Wednesday games.
- Rangers are 7-2 in their last 9 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Rangers are 18-6 in their last 24 home games.
- Rangers are 8-3 in their last 11 overall.
- Rangers are 13-5 in their last 18 games following a win.
- Rangers are 7-3 in their last 10 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Lightning is 1-5 in the last 6 meetings in New York.
- Favorite is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.
Total Trends
- Under is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings.
- Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in New York.
- Under is 4-0 in Lightning's last 4 overall.
- Under is 2-0-2 in Lightning's last 4 Wednesday games.
- Under is 4-0 in Lightning's last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
- Under is 3-0-1 in Rangers' last 4 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
- Under is 6-1-1 in Rangers' last 8 vs. a team with a winning record.
Game Analysis
The public will likely line up on the visiting dog in this one as Tampa Bay has been scoring in buckets over their last three games, averaging 4.66 goals per game, and are gunning for that second spot in the Metro.
However, the Rangers also have something to play for as they are within three points of the second-place Devils and have the same incentive as the Lightning to snatch home-ice advantage over their New Jersey rivals in the first round of the postseason.
These teams have split their season series with the Rangers, defeating the Lightning, 3-1, in New York in October while Tampa Bay avenged that loss with a 2-1 shootout victory at the end of December in their own barn.
Both teams have won at home, which isn’t all that surprising considering the Lightning struggle on the road, and both games went under the posted total as they are both equipped with two of the best goalies in the game - Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. The venue plays a big role in this game and it is advantageous - New York - in a low-scoring affair.
For Empire State residents looking to bet on this game, you can do it at our top New York betting sites.
Predicted Score: Rangers 3 - Lightning 1
NHL Pick: Rangers ML (-115) at BetOnline
NHL Pick: Under 6 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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