We have 11 games on the NHL schedule for Saturday, March 19, and here are the best Rangers vs. Lightning betting pick and odds.
The Rangers are looking to sweep the season series after beating the Lightning on two occasions this year. According to PointsBet NY Sportsbook, the Lightning are -185 moneyline favorites, while the total is set at 5.5 goals.
Rangers fell short to the Islanders at home
The New York Rangers couldn’t record the third consecutive victory as they lost to the New York Islanders 2-1 at home. They defeated Dallas and Anaheim, but the Islanders edged them in a city derby. The Rangers will open a three-game road trip with this tilt against Tampa Bay.
Chris Kreider scored the only goal for the Rangers in a loss, and it was a power-play goal in the second period that tied the game at 1-1. However, Kyle Palmieri sealed the win for the visitors with a strike with less than three minutes to go.
For the second game in a row, Igor Shesterkin will get the start at the goal against the Lightning on Saturday. The 27-year old goaltender has a 29-8-2-1 record this season with a 2.07 GAA and a .938 save percentage with three shutouts. The Rangers allow 2.57 goals per game (3rd in the NHL) and score 2.97 a night (18th) on a 10.3 shooting percentage (10th).
Lightning didn’t have problems with the Kraken
The Tampa Bay Lightning concluded their six-game road trip with a pair of victories over Vancouver and Seattle, scoring six and allowing just two goals in the process. Tampa will play one game at home against the Rangers before hitting the road again for the next four games.
The Lightning trailed 1-0 early in the opening period, but quickly equalized through Nikita Kucherov and then scored three unanswered goals, courtesy of Victor Hedman (2) and Anthony Cirelli. Tampa’s goaltender Andrei Vasilevski saved 24 shots out of 25 he faced.
Andrei Vasilevski will start again on Saturday when his team faces the Rangers. The 28-year-old goaltender has a 32-11-2-2 record this season with a 2.37 GAA and a .919 save percentage with two shutouts. The Lightning are allowing 2.80 goals per game (12th in the NHL) and are scoring 3.37 on the other end (7th) on an 11.2 shooting percentage (3rd).
Trends:
New York:
- 3-6 in the last nine games against Tampa Bay
- 2-5 in the last seven games as a road underdog
Tampa Bay:
- 9-4 in the last 13 games overall
- 4-1 in the last five games at home
- 5-1 in the last six games against an opponent in the Eastern Conference
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Pick
The Lightning will be desperate to avoid the season sweep to the Rangers, who will play the first of a back-to-back set. They are facing the Hurricanes on Sunday after this game, and given how they are playing on the road lately, I don’t think the Rangers can get a win here.
Tampa Bay lost only two of the previous ten H2H encounters (6-2-2), and one defeat came this season. The Lightning are 19-5-4 at home, and I think they will do anything they can to win for the first time over the Rangers this season.
Pick: Take the Tampa Bay Lightning at -185
The Total
After failing to score a single goal in the most recent H2H (4-0 loss), the Lightning will be eager to score a few, but that is not going to be easy against one of the best goaltenders this season. Igor Shesterkin is allowing just a bit over 2.00 goals per game and he recorded a shutout in that 4-0 victory.
The total has gone Under in four of Tampa Bay’s last five games. Under is 7-0 in the Rangers’ previous seven vs. Eastern Conference rivals, while Under is 5-2-1 in the Lightning’s last eight home games.
Pick: Go Under 5.5 goals at -110
