Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and the New York Rangers will do battle against Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in an Eastern Conference matchup. This one will get going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, December 10 and it can be watched live on MSG Network.
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
New York (+220) is entering this one as the underdog to Tampa Bay (-260) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Netting moneyline bettors 8.4 units, Tampa Bay is 23-8 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That win percentage, best in the league so far in the early season, is an improvement compared to what the team did during the 2017-18 season (54-28). Through 31 regular season matches, 16 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 13-4 SU at home this year.
The Lightning enter the matchup with the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve found the net on 29.0 percent of their extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.9 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 28.4 saves per game with a .906 save percentage, Louis Domingue (13 wins, four losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for Tampa Bay this year. If head coach Jon Cooper chooses to give him a rest, however, Tampa Bay may turn to Andrei Vasilevskiy (9-4-4 record, .927 save percentage, 2.29 goals against average).
New York has netted 2.9 units for moneyline bettors this season and is currently 14-15 straight up (SU). A total of 16 of its matches have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and none have pushed. The Rangers are 4-10 SU as the away team this season.
The Rangers have converted on 18.8 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Henrik Lundqvist (30.3 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for New York. Lundqvist has 10 wins, 12 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .919 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average this year.
New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner \u2013 Lightning, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Trends
- 56.5 percent of Tampa Bay’s wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 13-5 overall in such games) while 42.9 percent of New York’s wins have come by two goals or more (6-9 overall in such games).
- Power-play opportunities may play a key role in tonight’s game. The Rangers are 5-2 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 10-10 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Lightning are 7-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 11-8 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- New York (5-1 in shootouts) has more shootout experience coming into this one. Tampa Bay, however, is undefeated in two shootouts this year.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- New York is ranked 29th this season with 13.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team’s averaged 16.2 giveaways over its last 10 games and 15.4 giveaways over its last five.
- Tampa Bay has averaged 8.2 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 7.9 giveaways per game (ranked 8th in the NHL).
- This game features two of the tougher teams in the league. New York skaters have dished out the league’s seventh-most hits per game (25.3) and the Bolts have handed the eighth-most (24.7).
