Rangers vs. Lightning Prediction
The over has been profitable in previous meetings between the Rangers and Lightning but will Friday night’s matchup between these two teams in Tampa, FL turn high scoring? The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Game Snapshot
043 New York Rangers (+115) at 044 Tampa Bay Lightning (-135); o/u 6
7:00 p.m. ET, Friday, December 31, 2021
Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
TV: ESPN+
New York Rangers DFS Spin
Igor Shesterkin surrendered four goals on 32 shots in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. Shesterkin was given 1-0 and 2-1 leads through the first two periods of play, but he came up short under the bright lights of the third period, with MacKenzie Weegar, Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair all striking for goals against him to power the Panthers to the win. Shesterkin has played some strong hockey this season, but had been on the shelf for most of December due to a lower-body injury. Give him a few starts to work back into the flow of things. The Rangers will look to bounce back from this loss in a New Year’s Eve matchup with the Lightning on Friday.
Tampa Bay Lightning DFS Spin
Steven Stamkos found the back of the net during Thursday’s 9-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. The Bolts got off to a horrible start, as they allowed the Panthers to score the first three goals of the game before the 15-minute mark of the game. Stamkos’ tally made the game interesting because he was able to cut the Panther lead to 4-2, but that’s as close as the Lightning would come to making it a game. The 31-year-old is now riding a five-game point streak. He has 15 goals and 22 assists in 31 games this season. Zach Bogosian and Brayden Point also scored for the Lightning on Thursday night.
Rangers vs. Lightning NHL Prediction
The over is 9-3-1 in the last 13 meetings in Tampa and is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams overall. The over is also 4-1 in the Lightning’s last five games after allowing five goals or more in their previous game, is 3-0-1 in their last four games playing on zero days of rest and is 5-0 in their last five games when facing an opponent with a winning percentage above .600.
NHL BETTING PREDICTION: RANGERS/LIGHTNING OVER 6
