Amalie Arena will be the site for an Eastern Conference showdown as the New York Rangers square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This one gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 8 and it can be caught live on TVA Sports.
New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
With a moneyline of -275, Tampa Bay heads into the game as the heavy favorite. The line for New York sits at +240, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-125 to bet the over, +105 for the under).
Earning moneyline bettors 12.7 units, Tampa Bay is 46-21 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked first in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 42-40 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Through 67 regular season outings, 43 of its games have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team is 23-8 SU at home this season.
The Lightning enter the matchup with the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they have found the net on 24.3 percent of their extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 26th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.4 percent of all penalties.
The Lightning, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 4.0 times per game overall this season, 4.2 per game over their last five games total, and 4.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to kill penalties for 11.0 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
With a .925 save percentage and 29.7 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (39-16-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for Tampa Bay this season. If Tampa Bay decides to rest him, however, head coach Jon Cooper may turn to Louis Domingue (4-10-10 record, .881 save percentage, 3.82 goals against average).
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will each spearhead the attack for the Lightning. Kucherov (86 points) has tallied 33 goals and 53 assists and has recorded multiple points on 28 separate occasions this year. Stamkos has 27 goals and 51 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 46 games.
On the other bench, New York is 30-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 34 of its contests have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Rangers are 12-20 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Rangers have converted on 20.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully defended 82.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over their last ten contests. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Henrik Lundqvist (29.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Lundqvist owns a 25-31-5 record, while registering a .916 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Rangers will be Vladislav Namestnikov (21 goals, 25 assists) and Mats Zuccarello (10 goals, 34 assists).
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Three of Tampa Bay’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 3-0 in those games and 5-2 overall in shootouts this year.
The total has gone over in four of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
New York has managed 31.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Tampa Bay has been attempting 36.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
Tampa Bay has averaged 3.7 goals per game overall this year, but is scoring 5.7 per contest in its past three games (the team’s a perfect 0-0 SU during that streak).
Over New York’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 1-6 in those games).
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