NY Rangers vs. Lightning odds and picks for Wednesday
The Rangers (31-16-3, 1st in Metropolitan) are back in action again on Wednesday night when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning (27-18-5) at Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts won their first game following the All-Star Break in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night at MSG.
Tampa Bay will be back in action following the four-day break as the team went into All-Star weekend on a three-game winning streak.
This is the second of three matchups this season as the Rangers defeated the Lightning handedly with a 5-1 win in the Sunshine State on Dec. 30.
Here's my betting preview on the spread, total and moneyline for this matchup between two teams making the push for the postseason.
NY Rangers vs. Lightning puck line: Rangers -1.5 (+175), Lightning +1.5 (-205)
When it comes to covering the spread or better known as the "puck line" in hockey, neither of these teams have been great as they both currently rank in the bottom half of the league this season.
The Rangers are just 9-14 on the puck line at MSG this year and have won by multiple goals just three times in their last 10 games on home ice.
While the Lightning have not lost by two or more goals on the road since in a month, they're just 10-15 against the spread away from Amalie Arena.
This is a tough call, but I'm leaning towards taking New York here as I expect Tampa Bay to be a little rusty (more on that later) given its first game back post All-Star Break.
The sportsbook to bet the Rangers to cover the puck line is on DraftKings where they're +180 (Bet $100 to win $180).
Prediction: Rangers -1.5 (+175)
NY Rangers vs. Lightning total: Over 6.5 goals (+104), Under 6.5 goals (-107)
There's no denying that these organizations have two of the best goalies in the NHL in Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Even though both netminders have had relatively down seasons compared to their normal, bet the under in this one.
The Blueshirts have gone below this line in six of their last 10 contests and the Lightning have had six or fewer total goals in six of their previous eight road games.
Furthermore, the recent history of this matchup has been great to the under.
Out of the prior 10 matchups, eight of them have featured a final score with fewer than six goals.
The Lightning are also due for a low scoring affair as each of their last three games have had a total of nine goals.
At nearly even money (-107) on multiple sportsbooks in New Jersey, take the under in this one as we get solid performances from both these former Vezina Trophy winners.
Prediction: Under 6.5 goals (-107)
NY Rangers vs. Lightning moneyline: Rangers (-135), Lightning (+124)
The Rangers have one of the best home records in the NHL at 16-7 past the halfway point of the regular season.
As I mentioned earlier, the Lightning could take some time to get in a rhythm as not only is it their first game after the All-Star Break, but also the team's first game in 11 days.
This is highly important because Tampa Bay has the clear advantage as the better first period team as it averages 1.08 goals for in the first 20 minutes whereas the opening period is easily the Rangers' worst as they come in at 0.86 goals this year.
I think it'll definitely take the Lightning at least a period or two to get back in the flow of a game after easily their longest break of the regular season.
The Rangers will push their winning streak to three games as they end Tampa Bay's winning ways with another victory on home ice Wednesday night.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the best available price of -135 (Bet $135 to win $100) for Rangers' moneyline.
Prediction: Rangers 4, Lightning 2
