OVERVIEW:
The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lighting continue their quest to the Stanley Cup in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is set for 8PM EST and the game will be on ESPN+. Even though they are on the road, the Lightning enter as -130 favorites while the Rangers are +110 underdogs.
RECENT TRENDS:
The Rangers were able to survive the storm that was the Carolina Hurricanes with a 6-2 victory on the road in Game 7, their fourth straight Game 7 victory. Leading the way for the Rangers has been the man in net, Igor Shesterkin who only allowed two goals on 39 shots both in Game 6 and 7. Offensively, after a slow start to the series, Mika Zibanejad has woken up with goals in three of his last four games.
As for the Lighting, they swept the Panthers in four games and have been resting for about a week. Leading the Lightning has been their man in net Andrei Vasilevskiy who shutout the Cats 2-0 in Game 7 and only allowed three total goals across the four game series. A surprising boost to the Lightning offense has been 37 year old Corey Perry who scored in three of the four games against Florida and registered a point in all four.
BETTING ANGLES:
With two goalies playing some of their best hockey of the year, the “Under 5.5 Goals” (-110) does look tempting to take. We advise that you do take the bet as the Lightning only went over six goals once in four games while the Rangers only went over six goals in the final two games of the series. An alternate line of “Under Five Goals” (+120) is risky, but can also be taken.
As for goal scorers, expect a low scoring cagey affair, but the Rangers Mika Zibanejad is likely to light the lamp in MSG. Just make sure to take him as an anytime goal scorer.
RECENT INJURIES:
New York has no new injuries to report while Lightning center Brayden Point is out and head coach John Cooper says there is no immediate timetable for his return.
WHY THE LIGHTING CAN WIN:
The Lighting have been resting since their four game sweep of the Panthers, and that rest can pay off. With goalscorers such as Corey Perry and Pat Maroon waking up as of late this postseason, the Bolts have more weapons to on offense to go along with Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. Stellar net play from Vasilevskiy has buoyed Tampa Bay all playoff long and if he can stay hot in net, the Lightning can zap the Blueshirts in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
WHY THE RANGERS CAN WIN:
If the Rangers want to win, it comes down to Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafernier, and Chris Kreider upfront. When the Rangers offense clicks, it can take down any opponent, and if they want to defeat the defending champs, their offense needs to be consistent each game. This team has also lived and died by the man between the pipes, Igor Shesterkin. When Shesterkin is hot, he’s hot. Even in their Game 7 win on the road, when the offense was cold, he stays hot. The game should come down to offense and if the Blueshirts unit can start fast, the Rangers can take Game 1
BEST BET: Under Five Goals (+120)
