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The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers will meet in an NHL matchup tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Lightning are favored at -142 on the moneyline, with the Rangers at +120 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 5.5 (-132o / +110u).
Let's get into our Lightning vs. Rangers predictions and NHL picks.
Lightning vs. Rangers Prediction
- Pick: Lightning Moneyline (-125)
Our Tampa Bay vs. New York best bet is on the Lightning moneyline, with the best odds currently available at FanDuel. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
Lightning vs Rangers Odds
| Lightning Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +180 | 5.5 -132o / +110u | -142 |
| Rangers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -218 | 5.5 -132o / +110u | +120 |
- Lightning vs. Rangers puck line: Lightning -1.5 (+180), Rangers +1.5 (-218)
- Lightning vs. Rangers over/under: 5.5 (-132o / +110u)
- Lightning vs. Rangers moneyline: Lightning -142, Rangers +120
- Lightning vs. Rangers best bet: Lightning moneyline (-125)
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Tampa Bay Lightning Preview
The Lightning had a difficult exit from last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in Game 7 to the Canadiens despite dominating the series. Tampa Bay returns this season even stronger, and there is no reason to believe that it won't be a difficult side to handle once again.
In this opening matchup, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is slated to guard the cage for the Lightning. One of this generation's best netminders, Vasilevskiy is coming off his second Vezina Trophy-winning campaign.
Through 58 starts last year, Vasilevskiy posted a 39-15-4 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. Unsurprisingly, the New York Rangers are one of many teams that Vasilevskiy has dominated this decade.
Over the past 13 meetings, Vasilevskiy is 8-5 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average. It certainly helps his cause that he plays behind one of the best two-way teams in hockey.
Last year, the Bolts ranked third in xGF/60, ninth in xGA/60 and fourth in expected goal differential per 60 minutes.
New York Rangers Preview
Analytically, the Rangers did not see nearly as much success. Not only did they trail the Lightning in each of those three key categories, but the margin was wide.
Last season, New York finished 26th in xGF/60, 23rd in xGA/60, and 27th in expected goal differential per 60 minutes. As a result, the Rangers missed the postseason in what was a very disappointing campaign.
These struggles have continued into the start of the 2026-27 season. The Rangers opened their campaign on Tuesday in Boston, where they suffered a 3-0 loss to the Bruins.
Lightning vs. Rangers Pick
The concern isn't that New York lost that game; it is the way that it lost. Boston dominated the final 50 minutes, never surrendering the expected goals edge during that stretch.
The Bruins won the Corsi battle 54%-46%, finally breaking through against goaltender Igor Shesterkin twice in the third period to pull away.
Shesterkin was the lone bright spot for New York, but considering that the Rangers are about to play three games in four days and have another outing on Friday, they may turn to backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo against Tampa Bay.
Regardless, it will be a tough task for New York to rebound against a very strong Lightning roster.
Best Bet: Lightning Moneyline (-125)
