by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Lightning -130, Rangers +105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Lightning -130, Rangers +105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Lightning -125, Rangers +105; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Tampa Bay Lightning: 51-23-8 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)
New York Rangers: 52-24-6 (2nd place, Metropolitan Division)
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Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Tampa Bay Lightning: 8-2-0 last 10
New York Rangers: 7-2-1 last 10
Tampa Bay Lightning Analysis
The Lightning are coming into this game finishing the regular season with 110 points, a 51-23-8 record overall, and they were 24-15-2 in their road games this regular season where they will be in this game. They have won 7 of their last 8 games and are coming into this one on a 6 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Toronto Maple Leafs in game 5 of their 1st round series while their 6 wins since then have come against the Leafs in game 6 and game 7 of their 1st round series, and against the Florida Panthers in all 4 games of their last series sweeping them from the 2nd round. They won their last game at home 2-0. Patrick Maroon and Ondřej Palát each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman led the team in shots on net in that game with 4 each. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 0 goals on 49 shots with 49 saves and a 1.000 sv percentage as he recorded the shutout. Their offense has scored 287 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 233 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.
New York Rangers Analysis
The Rangers are coming into this game finishing the regular season with 110 points, a 52-24-6 record overall, and they are 27-10-4 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They have won 4 of their last 5 games but are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak. Their last loss was against the Carolina Hurricanes in game 5 of their last series while their 4 wins in that span came against the Hurricanes in game 3, game 4, game 6, and in their last game which was also game 7 of that series. They won that game on the road 6-2. Chris Kreider scored 2 goals for them in that game while Andrew Copp, Adam Fox, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Strome each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Andrew Copp and Filip Chytil led the team in shots on net in that game with 4 each. Igor Shesterkin was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 39 shots with 37 saves and a .949 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 254 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 207 goals against them allowing 2.5 goals per game.
Lightning vs Rangers Prediction
The Rangers are coming into this game as a slight underdog with the current betting odds. They have been great at home all season playing very good defense and have had a much better offense in those games as well. Even Shesterkin has been a much better goalie at home this season and yet they still find themselves as the underdog here. The rangers were playing great in almost every game of their last series though and they have the momentum on their side here after that massive game 7 win on the road. They are going up against a Lightning side that has been off for 10 days after sweeping in their last series and now have to play in a very hostile environment for their first game after that long layoff. The Rangers will have a much better chance of scoring goals at home here and they will likely get off to a quicker start with the Lightning being off for so long. This is going to come down to goaltending as both teams have the best goalies in the NHL here but Shesterkin has played much better at home this season and this is a game he will step up for as he wants to prove that he is the better goalie over Vasilevskiy who has held that title for the last few years now. The Rangers will force this into a defensive game with the way they have been playing recently and this will be a game that Shesterkin shines and wins for them. The best bet here is on the Rangers to win this game at home as the underdog.
Lightning Rangers Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Wednesday, June 1, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Rangers 2 Lightning 1.
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NHL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay Lightning: 18-12 (-3.9 Units) ML off a home win. 20-15 (-8.5 Units) ML after a win by 2 goals or more. 24-17 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders.
New York Rangers: 60-36 (+19.2 Units) ML in all games. 16-8 (+5.7 Units) ML in a home game where the total is 5.5. 21-14 UNDER after a win by 2 goals or more.
Key Injuries
Tampa Bay Lightning: B. Point (C) Ques Wed - Lower Body. B. Hagel (LW) Prob Wed - Foot. B. Seabrook (D) out for season - Shoulder.
New York Rangers: K. Kinkaid (G) Out indefinitely - Upper Body. S. Blais (LW) out for season - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“It's never a doubt in our locker room. A goalie's job, if you want to be elite, is to give your team a chance to win. When a goaltender gives your team a chance to win, it comes in a variety of ways. Tonight, it was he wasn’t letting anything in. And we’ve seen that time and time again.” - Jon Cooper on Vasilevskiy after his team’s win against the Panthers in game 4 of their last series, sweeping them.
“You've got to pay a price to win games in this league, especially against real good teams like that. I love the way our guys are competing and battling. I've said 100 times this year, we're not perfect, but we find ways to win.” - Gerard Gallant after his team’s win against the Hurricanes in game 7 of their last series on Monday.
Starting Lineups
Tampa Bay Lightning
LW Stamkos, Steven
C Paul, Nicholas
RW Kucherov, Nikita
LD Hedman, Victor
RD Cernak, Erik
G Vasilevskiy, Andrei
New York Rangers
LW Kreider, Chris
C Zibanejad, Mika
RW Vatrano, Frank
LD Lindgren, Ryan
RD Fox, Adam
G Shesterkin, Igor
Statistical Leaders
Tampa Bay Lightning
Points: S. Stamkos (106)
Goals: S. Stamkos (42)
Assists: V. Hedman (65)
GAA: B. Elliott (2.43)
New York Rangers
Points: A. Panarin (96)
Goals: C. Kreider (52)
Assists: A. Panarin (74)
GAA: I. Shesterkin (2.07)
Coaches:
Tampa Bay Lightning: Jon Cooper (10th season)
New York Rangers: Gerard Gallant (1st season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
