The New York Rangers are set to head into Tampa Bay looking to win their third straight game against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Rangers are about to play their first game of what will be a very tough back-to-back, but the Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t had the best of luck against New York this season. Tampa comes into this contest-winning their last two games and is hoping to carry that momentum into tonight.
Who will win this Eastern Conference battle? Find out in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Rangers vs. Lightning.
Rangers vs Lightning odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Lightning opened up as heavy home favorites at -205 and then shifted to -195. It has since gone back up in favor of Tampa as it's now at -215. The total opened up at 5.5 and hasn’t had any movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Rangers vs Lightning predictions
Predictions made on 3/19/2022 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Rangers vs Lightning game info
• Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
• Date: Saturday, March 19, 2022
• Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC
Rangers vs Lightning betting preview
Key injuries
Rangers: Kaapo Kakko F (Out), Kevin Rooney F (Out), Samy Blais F (Out).
Lightning: Brent Seabrook D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Rangers vs Lightning head-to-head record
Rangers: 3-3-1 SU, 25 goals for.
Lightning: 4-2-1 SU, 26 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in the Lightning's last four overall games. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Lightning.
Rangers vs Lightning picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning are starting to tighten the gap between them and the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Tampa is currently four points back of first with a game in hand, so every single point matters for them in the standings. The Lightning are back on home ice after a long six-game road trip where they went 3-3-0.
The New York Rangers are coming off of a very tough loss against their biggest rivals, the New York Islanders, falling short in a 2-1 effort. The Rangers played a great 60 minutes but just couldn’t find a way to solve Ilya Sorokin. Their offense had been clicking previously, but that loss against the Islanders could be a setback.
Frank Vatrano played his first game as a Ranger on Thursday night and even though he didn’t get on the score sheet, he appeared to fit right in with Strome and Panarin. Vatrano is a great addition to the Rangers' forward group and should be able to help them produce more at 5-on-5.
These two teams had a home-and-home around New Year’s Eve and the Rangers were able to win both games. That’s the last time that the Rangers were in Tampa, where they faced Brian Elliott and were able to get the extra point in the shootout.
Getting the start for Tampa this time will be Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is arguably the best goalie in the world. Even though Igor Shesterkin has been the best goalie in the league this season, he still has a long way to go before he can be considered better than Vasilevskiy.
Despite the fact that the Rangers have won both meetings, I still believe that Tampa has the edge in this matchup. The Lightning are a very dynamic offensive team, but lately, they have not been filling the back of the net as often as they usually do. During their six-game road trip, they scored a combined 18 goals.
The Lightning are very good on home ice at Amalie Arena as they have a record of 19-5-4 in their home barn. They will also see Brandon Hagel for the first time as he was acquired in a trade on Friday.
Hagel will be a huge addition to their third line and is a guy they will look to for some scoring depth. He has 21 goals and 16 assists in 55 games this season. It is rare for any team to sweep the Lightning in a season series, and I think Tampa finally gets the job done.
Prediction: Lightning ML (-102)
Over/Under analysis
This is going to be an incredible goalie matchup. Vasilevskiy has achieved all there is in the game of hockey, and Shesterkin has already made Rangers fans forget about Henrik Lundqvist being gone.
Shesterkin’s numbers have been just as, if not more impressive, than Vasilevskiy's, as he is 29-8-3 with a .938 save percentage and a league-best 31.8 goals saved above expectation.
Both teams don’t allow much as they both rank in the Top 15 in the NHL in team defense. The Rangers are third, only allowing 2.57 goals per game, and the Lightning are 12th as they give up 2.80 GPG.
Tampa is easily capable of exploding offensively, but this time of year every game is played tighter as we’ve seen from Tampa lately. The Lightning’s last four games in a row have gone Under and I think that trend will continue against the Rangers.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (-105)
Best bet
Vasilevskiy has won his last two starts and has completely shut down his opponents. In those appearances, he has made a total of 59 saves on 61 shots.
Shesterkin looked absolutely incredible on Thursday night against the Islanders, stopping 26 of 28 shots, but his team wasn’t able to find the back of the net more than once. The last time Shesterkin played Tampa was on January 2 and he had a 38-save shutout against Vasilevskiy.
He has shown us throughout the season that he steps up when he is needed and is able to single-handedly win games for the Rangers. Both of these goalies are very competitive, and they know that they are going up against one of the league’s best.
I think that these two will steal the show and that this game will remain close, while also low-scoring. I love the Under.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-105)
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