New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction NHL Picks 3/14/24

Tampa Bay Lightning (34-25-6) vs New York Rangers (43-18-4)

Game Info: Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Amalie Arena)

Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning -116 / New York Rangers -106 --- Over/Under: 6

The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning meet Thursday in NHL action from the Amalie Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning prediction.

New York Rangers Team Preview

The New York Rangers come into this one looking to build on a 1-0 win over Carolina in their last matchup. Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 87 points including team-highs of 35 goals and 52 assists while Chris Kreider has 60 points with 32 goals of his own. Vincent Trocheck has 61 points as well with 37 assists while Mika Zibanejad has 55 points with 35 assists this season. Igor Shesterkin has gone 28-13-2 with a 2.54 GAA and a .914 save percentage while Jonathan Quick is 14-5-2 with a 2.38 GAA and a .917 save percentage between the pipes for the Rangers this season.

New York Rangers Team Facts

• The Rangers have won six of their last seven games as underdogs following a road win.
• The Rangers have covered the puck line in 12 of their last 13 games as underdogs.
• The Rangers have won the third period in nine of their last 10 games as underdogs following a road win.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 2' market has hit in each of the Rangers' last 10 games against Atlantic Division opponents.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be out to build on their 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in their last matchup. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 107 points including a team-high 38 goals and 69 assists while Brayden Point has 33 goals and 34 assists for his 67 points. Victor Hedman’s added 64 points with 52 assists while Steven Stamkos has 55 points with 31 assists and Brandon Hagel has 61 points split between 23 goals and 38 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 11-7-5 with a 3.43 GAA and an .888 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 22-16-1 with a 2.96 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts

• The Lightning have lost three of their last four games as home favorites against opponents on a winning streak.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight night games.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in each of the Lightning's last eight home games.
• The Lightning have won the second period in each of their last six games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Rangers vs. Lightning Prediction

I’m on the Rangers here. I have said before and I’ll say again, I’m done with the Lightning as I think Tampa Bay’s best years are behind them and the only reason they have this price attached is because they have a history of performing well at home. New York is the better team across the board and I’m giving the Rangers the edge in goaltending as well as Vasilevskiy just doesn’t seem as sharp as years past. Maybe his back injury is still nagging? Who knows, but the Rangers are getting it done in Tampa. Give me the Rangers.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.