The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers open their regular seasons Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning at Rangers, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
This is a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, which the Lightning won 4-2. After dropping the first 2 games of the series, Tampa Bay took the next 4 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, which it lost to Colorado 4-2.
The Rangers were red-hot at MSG last season, riding a combination of solid goaltending and high-octane offense, which is often a recipe for success in the NHL. New York has won 35 of its past 51 games at MSG.
The Rangers beat the Lightning in all 3 regular-season games last season, 2 on the road and 1 at home – a 4-0 shutout Jan. 2.
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Lightning at Rangers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:14 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Lightning +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Rangers -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Lightning +1.5 (-260) | Rangers -1.5 (+185)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Lightning at Rangers projected goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy (39-18-5, 2.49 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO in 2021-22) vs. Igor Shesterkin (36-13-4, 2.07 GAA, .935 SV%, 6 SO in 2021-22)
Vasilevskiy won 19 regular-season games on the road last season, going 19-10-1 with a 2.77 GAA and .912 SV%. However, he was 0-2-0 with a 3.03 GAA and .875 SV% in 2 regular-season starts vs. the Rangers.
Shesterkin emerged as a star in 2021-22, so much so that the team parted ways with dependable backup Alexandar Georgiev (now with Colorado). Igor was a rock at MSG, going 21-6-0 with a microscopic 1.85 GAA and .940 SV%. Plus, 5 of his 6 regular-season shutouts came in front of the home fans.
In his short career, Shesterkin is 3-0-0 with a 1.30 GAA, .958 SV% and 1 shutout in 3 regular-season games – all last season – vs. the Lightning.
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Lightning at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 3, Lightning 2
Moneyline
NEW YORK (-120) is worth playing, but the margin of error here is razor thin. These teams know each other well, and it is a budding rivalry thanks to their intense ECF series last spring. With these 2 superstar goalies, don’t expect either side to get very far ahead at any point.
Puck line/Against the spread
Lightning +1.5 (-260) is just too expensive if you’re expecting a close game like I am. You need to risk 2.6 times your potential return, and that’s never a good betting strategy, especially on Day 1. If you’re feeling Tampa (I’m not), just bet it straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
The UNDER 5.5 (-110) is a low number in this day and age, but goaltenders are typically ahead of the offense during the early going. This should be especially true with the two world-class backstops on display in this game. Expect goals to be at a premium at MSG Tuesday.
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