Tampa Bay @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Tampa Bay 3, NY Rangers 2

The NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning can set a franchise record with their 10th straight victory Wednesday night when they visit the rebuilding New York Rangers, who dealt two of their top four scorers before Monday’s trade deadline. The Lightning, who visit Boston on Thursday, have yet to lose in regulation this month (11-0-2) and extended their win streak to nine while reaching 100 points with a 4-3 shootout win over Los Angeles on Monday.

“We have the group in here that’s confident that we can go out and perform when it matters and we’ve done it all season long,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos told reporters of his team’s inactivity at the trade deadline. “It doesn’t change our mindset. We know the group now. Everyone can sleep easier and concentrate on these last 19 games and make sure we’re playing the way we want to be playing heading into the playoffs.” The Lightning have won four straight and own points in seven straight meetings with the Rangers (5-0-2) after posting a pair of victories this season, including a 3-2 triumph in New York on Feb. 2. The Rangers traded Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and veteran defenseman Adam McQuaid while netting a first-round pick, two conditional picks that could become firsts, a fourth and a seventh-round selection along with 22-year-old forward Brendan Lemieux. “We’ve added a lot of assets and it gives us some flexibility,” Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton told reporters. “A lot of opportunity for our team to get better, hopefully in a relatively quick fashion.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (48-11-4): J.T. Miller has been Tampa Bay’s Swiss Army Knife since being acquired just before last season’s trade deadline from the Rangers and scored the tying goal late in the third period Monday to keep the team’s streak alive. “He’s moved around the lineup a little bit, but he plays a big role for us. …” coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “He wins draws for us and can play anywhere in the lineup and he can play multiple positions so it makes him very valuable.” Right wing Nikita Kucherov leads the NHL with 101 points and center Brayden Point tops the league in power-play goals (18) - half of his team-leading total.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-26-9): Lemieux, the son of former NHL star Claude Lemieux, had nine goals and 11 points with a plus-10 rating in 44 games with Winnipeg before coming over in the trade for Hayes. “I would think we’re going to give him a pretty big opportunity here, with some ice time and playing up in the lineup and see what he can do for us right away,” Gorton told reporters of Lemieux, who was a second-round pick of Buffalo in 2014. Center Mika Zibanejad has recorded 18 of his team-leading 62 points in his last 13 games - nine goals - while left wing Chris Kreider shares the goal-scoring lead with him at 26 after scoring in each of the last two contests.

OVERTIME

1. New York F Vladislav Namestnikov, acquired from Tampa Bay last year, has four goals and two assists the last six games.

2. Stamkos has 381 career goals - 33 this season - and trails Vincent Lecavalier by two for the franchise record.

3. Rangers D Tony DeAngelo, a former Lightning first-round pick, has assists in seven straight games (eight total).

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Rangers 3