Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers Betting Preview/Prop Picks

The Eastern Conference Finals in the NHL are set to begin on Wednesday night, and it’s a matchup that no one saw coming. The Tampa Bay Lightning will take on the New York Rangers as both of the top seeds have been eliminated. 

Tampa Bay is a two-time defending Stanley Cup champion, and they are now just eight wins away from making it three in a row. The Lightning swept the Florida Panthers in the previous round to pull off a stunning upset. 

New York comes into this game with a ton of momentum after winning four of their last five games to upset the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers will now have a home-ice advantage against Tampa Bay, and they must protect home ice. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the moneyline betting favorites at -134 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Lightning Riding Vasilevskiy

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the star for the Lightning in recent playoff runs, and he looks to be doing it again. Vasilevskiy completely shut down a high-scoring Florida team, allowing just three total goals in the four-game sweep.

Tampa Bay will have to get the offense going again in this series as they were shut down a bit against the Panthers. This Lightning team is loaded with experience, and they usually have players step up in the clutch.

Nikita Kucherov has been the best offensive player for the Lightning in the playoffs, as he has 15 postseason points. Tampa Bay is once again great on special teams, and that will play a factor in this game as well. 

Rangers Dangerous on Power Play

New York scored right at three goals per game during the regular season, but they have become a great offensive team in the playoffs. The Rangers had a pair of power play goals in their most recent game, and that unit has made this team dangerous. 

Mika Zibanejad has 19 playoff points for the Rangers, and Adam Fox is right behind him with 18. Artemi Panarin is another dangerous player with the puck on his stick, but he has been getting plenty of help.

Igor Shesterkin will have to be great in this series as well in the blue paint. Shesterkin hasn’t always been consistent in the postseason, but he has come up big in the biggest moments for his team. 

Rangers Stay Red-Hot With Win

Momentum is extremely important when it comes to the NHL, and the Rangers clearly have that edge heading into Game 1. Tampa Bay is likely to show some rust to begin the series as well after such a long break since their last game.

This game, and all of them in this series, should be a low-scoring affair, and that plays right into the hands of the Rangers. Even though New York has been a good offensive team of late, they prefer to slow things down.

Shesterkin will outduel Vasilevskiy on Wednesday night as the home team picks up a win. Take the New York Rangers moneyline as they take a 1-0 series lead. 

Prop Pick

NY Rangers (+210) OVER 3.5 Goals

New York is averaging 3.0 goals per game on offense, which ranks No. 17 in the league, while converting on 25.2 percent of its power plays, which ranks No. 4. Scores have gone OVER in five of the Rangers’ last seven home games.

With Dunkel predicting a New York victory by the score of 4-3, take the Rangers (+210) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 3.5 goals against the Lightning.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (+100) UNDER 26.5 Saves

Vasilevskiy has a .932 save percentage (343 saves, 368 shots against) so far in the postseason. That percentage decreased during the regular season to .900 (673 saves, 748 shots against) in Tampa Bay losses and .875 (42 saves, 48 shots against) in two games versus the Rangers.

With Dunkel predicting a New York win with the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Vasilevskiy (+100) to finish UNDER his Vegas total of 26.5 saves against New York.

Keep up with your latest NHL news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.

All Media on this page by Associated Press.