New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

11 minute read

The New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning shift their series to Amalie Arena Sunday afternoon for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a best-of-seven series. The Rangers lead the series 2-0. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN/ESPN+.

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Score Prediction

Lightning 3, Rangers 1

Best Bet

Lightning -175
Under 5.5 (-120)

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING PREDICTIONS

The Rangers did something that no one else has been able to do since 2019 - beat the Lightning in consecutive playoff games. New York held on for a 3-2 victory in Game 2. Things got a little hairy Friday night, as the two-time defending champs pulled the goalie for the extra attacker and scored with two minutes to go. Tampa Bay threw everything and the kitchen sink at Igor Shesterkin, but he stood tall and bailed out the Rangers late for the commanding 2-0 series lead. The crowd again chanted, "Igor's better! Igor's better!", and in the first two games of this series, they're absolutely correct.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy looked a little unsure of himself, and gave up some uncharacteristic rebound opportunities. He even lost track of the puck once, and if not for the quick hand of Corey Perry, who was behind the goalie to glove the puck into the goalie's sight and away from the goal line, things could have been worse. Vasilevskiy was 17-0 after a playoff loss in the past 17 games until the Rangers finally dented that miraculous streak. Now, the Blueshirts go for a third consecutive win to really push the two-time defending champs to the ropes.

Updated on 12/26/2024

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NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING ODDS

Rangers +145
Lightning -175
Rangers +1.5 (-185)
Lightning -1.5 (+150)
Over 5.5 (+100)
Under 5.5 (-120)

More Odds | Futures Odds

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING RESOURCES

• Date: Friday, June 1, 2022
• Matchup: Atlantic vs. Metropolitan
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• Location: New York, N.Y.
• TV-Time: ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET

NEW YORK RANGERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 62-28-8
• ATS: 52-46
• O/U: 42-53-3

The Rangers have been getting tremendous and timely goals from "The Kid Line" in this series, and the power play has been working like a charm. The defense has been tight, the goaltending from Shesterkin has been on point, and the Rangers fed off the energetic home crowd to draw a 2-0 series lead. Now, can New York carry over the momentum to Central Florida to really push the Lightning to the limit?

The Rangers have won four in a row in these playoffs, but New York is still just 2-6 in the past eight games on the road while going 1-5 in the past six as a road 'dog. New York has won five straight meetings against Tampa Bay, however, so there's that.

As far as totals are concerned, the Rangers have hit the UNDER in seven of the past nine as a road underdog, and they're hitting the UNDER at an 8-3-1 clip in the past 12 playoff games as a 'dog.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 59-28-8
• ATS: 46-49
• O/U: 50-43-2

The 'Ning (I like calling them that, as it REALLY used to perturb a buddy of mine who was a Tampa fan) have won six of the past eight games, but those two losses came in Games 1 and 2 of this series. The Lightning are 37-15 in the past 52 home games, and the two-time defending champs hope to feed off the energy of its home crowd like the Rangers did at MSG.

Tampa Bay is 9-4 in the past 13 playoff games when favored, while going an amazing 37-15 in the past 52 as a home favorite, too. But again, it is 0-5 in the past five meetings with New York, so there is a bit of a hump to get over.

In terms of totals, the UNDER has hit in six of the past seven games overall, while going 3-1-1 in the past five ECF games for Tampa. The OVER is 8-3 in the past 11 at home, however, and 11-4 in the past 15 when favored.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING CONCLUSION

The Rangers head down to Tampa looking for the big-time 3-0 series lead against the Lightning. Tampa Bay came in as the favorites in this series, but after seizing a 2-0 series lead, the Lightning must now win four out of the next five games to defending its title. Is it impossible? Certainly not. Is it likely? It's looking less and less likely, as the Rangers are strong and getting stronger.

New York has won five in a row in this series, too, sweeping the three games during the regular season. Shesterkin and company have just had the number of the Lightning for whatever reason. Are we going to see a changing of the guard in the East, or will Tampa Bay show that championship mettle? I think it's the latter, as the Lightning make a series of it. They're a proud group, and they're not going to go quietly into the night, or day, here in this afternoon affair in Game 3.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING TRENDS

• Rangers are 4-0 in the past four games overall.
• Rangers are 4-1 in the past five following a win.
• Rangers are 2-6 in the past eight road games.
• Rangers are 2-6 in the past eight as an underdog.
• Rangers are 1-5 in the past six as a road 'dog.
• Lightning are 6-2 in the past eight games overall.
• Lightning are 37-15 in the past 52 home games.
• Lightning are 49-23 in the past 72 as a favorite.
• UNDER is 7-2 in the past nine as a road 'dog for the Rangers.
• UNDER is 8-3-1 in the past 12 playoff games as a 'dog for NYR.
• UNDER is 6-1 in the past seven games overall for the Lightning.
• UNDER is 3-1-1 in the past five Conference Finals for the Lightning.
• OVER is 11-4 in the past 15 as a favorite for the Lightning.
• OVER is 8-3 in the past 11 home games for the Lightning.
• Underdog is 5-0 in the past five meetings.
• OVER is 4-1 in the past five meetings in Tampa.

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Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish