The New York Rangers did something Friday night that no NHL team has done in more than three years: beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in back-to-back playoff games.
Now the Rangers head south looking to do something no NHL team has done in … more than three years: hand the Lightning a three-game playoff losing skid and push the two-time defending champs to the brink of elimination.
Despite riding a playoff-best four-game winning streak — and despite being a perfect 5-0 against Tampa Bay this season — New York once again is an underdog on the Rangers vs Lightning odds board ahead of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, the Rangers are a sizable pup.
Can Tampa Bay live up to the betting market’s expectations and flip momentum Sunday night? Or will New York inch closer to its second Stanley Cup Finals since last winning it all in 1994?
Props.com has the full breakdown of Rangers vs Lightning odds and action with a Game 3 betting preview.
NHL Eastern Conference Finals: Game 3 Odds
| Matchup | Moneyline | Puckline | Total | Series Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Rangers | +150 | -180 (+1.5 goals) | 5.5 (Over +105) | -260 |
| Tamp Bay Lightning | -170 | +155 (-1.5 goals) | 5.5 (Under -125) | +210 |
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 12:50 p.m. ET on June 5.
N.Y. Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m. ET/ESPN)
Best-of-7 series: New York leads, 2-0. The Rangers have a +11 goal differential (19-8) during their five wins against the Lightning this season (all as an underdog).
Playoff results to date: New York 10-6 overall (2-5 road); Tampa Bay 8-5 overall (4-1 home).
Game 2 recap: Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into Friday’s contest, but the Rangers scored the next three goals and held on for a 3-2 victory. After getting within one goal with nearly three minutes remaining in the game, the Lightning had several quality chances to force overtime, but New York goalie Igor Shesterkin slammed the door shut.
Game 1 betting recap: New York closed as a consensus +110 home underdog. After Game 1 sailed Over (6-2 final), Friday’s contest fell just short of the 5.5-goal total.
Key stat: The Rangers have outscored opponents 20-8 and trailed for just 3 minutes, 18 seconds during their four-game winning streak. Shesterkin yielded exactly two goals in all four games.
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Rangers: New York is 6-1 in its last seven overall, but only one of those victories came on the road (5-2 win in Game 7 at Carolina). … The Rangers have scored at least three goals in 12 of 16 playoff games. Three of the four exceptions came against the Hurricanes, all on the road. … The home team is 13-3 in New York games in the playoffs, including 9-1 in the last 10. … The Rangers have held 12 straight opponents to three goals or fewer since a 7-2 loss at Pittsburgh in Game 4 of Round 1. That includes surrendering two goals or fewer in eight of the last nine. … Shesterkin turned aside 66 of 70 shots in the series. This year’s presumptive Vezina Trophy winner has allowed just 25 goals on 412 shots in his last 12 games (.939 save percentage).
Lightning: Tampa Bay has dropped consecutive playoff games for the first time since getting swept out of the first round by Columbus in 2019. Prior to Friday, the Lightning had won 17 straight postseason games following a loss. … The Lightning are 10-2 in their last 12 home games dating to the regular season, winning the last four in a row. … Tampa has scored exactly two goals in three straight games, four of the last five and five of the last seven. The team has tallied more than four goals just three times in 13 playoff contests. … After giving up just seven goals during a six-game winning streak coming into the Eastern Conference Finals, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed nine goals on 62 shots vs. New York (.855 save percentage).
From the Penalty Box
Tampa Bay went 1-for-1 on the power play Friday after going 0-for-3 in Game 1. The Rangers went 0-for-4 with the man advantage in Game 2 and are now 1-for-6 in the series.
For the playoffs, the Lightning are 12-for-52 (23.1%) on the power play; the Rangers are 14-for-46 (30.4%, No. 3 in the league).
Tampa Bay has killed 41 of 47 penalties (87.2%); New York has killed 36 of 45 (80.0%).
Betting Nuggets
- NY is on positive runs of 22-5 vs the Atlantic Division and 13-3 on Sundays
- NY is 1-5 in its last six as a road underdog
- TB is 9-4 in its last 13 as a playoff favorite (0-2 in this series)
- Under is 7-2 in NY’s last nine as a road underdog
- Under is 6-1 in TB’s last seven overall
- Over is 8-3 in TB’s last 11 at home (3-2 in the playoffs)
- Home team is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head meetings
- Over is 4-1 in the last five Rangers-Lightning battles in Tampa
Lightning vs Rangers Odds and Action
UPDATE 12:50 P.M. ET SUNDAY: With about two hours until the start of Game 3 in Tampa Bay, Lightning vs Rangers odds at DraftKings are holding at the opening number of Tampa -170/New York +150. Moneyline action has moved a bit more in the home team’s direction, as ticket count has gone from 53% Lightning at 3 p.m. ET Saturday to currently 58% Lightning. Money has nudged up slightly from 51% Tampa to 53% Tampa.
As with the moneyline, there’s been no change to the puckline odds of Rangers (+1.5) -180/Lightning (-1.5) +155. That’s slightly off the opening odds of Rangers -190/Lightning +160. Tampa Bay continues to see the bulk of the puckline action at 54% bets/62% cash. The ticket count percentage hasn’t changed from Saturday afternoon, but the money has dipped from 74%.
The total also hasn’t budged from 5.5/Under -125, even though the majority of the action continues to land on the Over at 65% wagers/72% dollars.
UPDATE 3 P.M. ET SATURDAY: DraftKings opened Lightning vs Rangers odds for Game 3 at Tampa Bay -170/New York +150. The moneyline has since moved as low as Tampa Bay -165/New York +145 and as high as Tampa Bay -180/New York +155, but it’s now back at the opening number. Early moneyline action at DraftKings is nearly split down the middle, with 53% of the tickets and 51% of the money on the Lightning.
The puckline opened at Rangers (+1.5) -190/Lightning (-1.5) +160, but quickly dipped to the current price of Rangers -180/Lightning +155. Ticket count (54%) and money (74%) favor the home chalk.
As was the case in the first two games at Madison Square Garden, the total opened at 5.5, this time at Under -120. It’s now 5.5/Under -125, with 76% of early bets and 71% of early cash on the Over.
Check back prior to puck drop of Game 3 for additional Rangers vs Lightning odds and action updates.
