Go With the Rangers To Win Another Tight Post All-Star Game Affair

Will Another Lightning-Rangers Showdown Land Under the Total?

The second half of the NHL season got off to a solid start with the New York Rangers edging Stanley Cup contender Colorado in overtime. They returned to Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference showdown with Tampa Bay.

When looking at the Lightning vs Rangers preview the Rangers are priced at -135 to win outright with the Moneyline for the Lightning coming in at +120.

The Rangers have won three of the last four meetings against the Lightning and that includes a pair of home wins.

Tampa Bay has struggled to a 10-13-2 record on the road while the Rangers are among the Eastern Conference leaders with 16 home wins. Keep that in mind when looking at the NHL expert picks.

Tampa Bay is one of three Atlantic Division teams that could draw the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs based on the current NHL standings.

The Rangers are tied for fourth at +1000 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay coming in 14th at +2500 in the championship odds.

Keep on reading for more on the matchup between the Lightning and the Rangers.

Kucherov to Pick Up the Pace

Nikita Kucherov did not win many popularity contests at the NHL All-Star Game with a performance in the stick-handling competition that could politely be termed as methodical.

His lack of effort in the skills competition riled up some folks. Expect more energy from Kucherov, one of the front-runners in the Hart Memorial Trophy when the Lightning return to the ice.

Kucherov went into the All-Star break with three consecutive multi-point games. Keep that in mind when it comes to the Lightning vs Rangers preview as he will be a top player prop option.

He assisted on Tampa Bay’s lone goal in a 5-1 loss in late December to give him four assists in his last four games against the Rangers. His last goal against the Rangers came on Nov. 14, 2019, so don’t be surprised to see him light the lamp in this NHL matchup.

The total has gone over in four of the last six games played by the Lightning.

The Return of the Captain

Rangers defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba is eligible to return to the ice after serving a two-game suspension.

The Rangers limited a talented Colorado team to one goal on 33 shots in Monday’s overtime win without Trouba. New York killed off all three power-play opportunities by the Avalanche without the player who tops New York in average short-handed time on ice.

Trouba is also one of three NHL players with at least 100 hits and 100 blocked shots this season. His return will factor into the Lightning vs Rangers preview.

Rangers-Lightning games can get a little testy at times even if the previous matchup had five combined power-play opportunities and 44 total hits.

Look for Trouba to make his presence felt early on in this showdown.

Seven of New York’s last 10 games against Eastern Conference teams went over the NHL odds total.

Last Meeting

Despite being outshot 35-21, the Rangers went into Tampa and came away with with 5-1 win on Dec. 30 as Artemi Panarin scored three times, Vincent Trocheck had a goal and three assists, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 34 of 35 shots.

The game landed right on the six-goal total as only one of the last nine games between the Lightning and the Rangers went over the total.

Lightning vs Rangers Betting Preview

Although the Lightning joins the St. Louis Blues as the only team with a losing road record that is in playoff position when the second half of the season began, count out the veteran-laden Lightning team at your own peril.

Tampa Bay has shorthanded on defense with Erik Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev, and Haydn Fleury all sidelined. It is looking like Sergachev could return for this game.

Three of the last four times that the Rangers welcomed the Lightning to Madison Square Garden, the game landed over the total. The total is set at 6.5 goals for this matchup.

The Rangers are 23-15-2 when listed as the favorite with Tampa Bay posting a record of 8-12-2 as the underdog.

Tampa Bay has covered in just 10 of 25 road games this NHL season. The Rangers are only 8-15 ATS at home. However, 12 of those matchups landed over the total.

The Lightning is 8-1 over the last nine games but 1-6 in the last seven road games against the Rangers.

The total has gone over in five of the last six games that the Rangers played against Atlantic Division teams.

Don’t expect a second consecutive 2-1 games for the Rangers but it will not be a surprise to see this be a tight affair between a pair of Eastern Conference playoff contenders.

For NHL scores today, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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