The Rangers and Islanders have big opportunities on Thursday night.
The Blueshirts head to Tampa Bay looking for their fourth straight win while staying within some distance of the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes.
Dive into the big game in Tampa.
Rangers vs Lightning Prediction
(7 p.m. ET, MSG)
The Rangers are making good progress in the second half of the season.
They have won three in a row and are 14-2-1 with a +27 goal difference in their last 17 games.
Surprisingly, the Rangers have allowed just 32 goals during this span, with most of the credit going to goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, who have totaled 10,000 saves during this strong streak. He recorded a percentage of .940.
While the Rangers deserve a lot of credit for how they fought through February and early March, there are still some worrying signs at 5-on-5.
Since the Rangers’ surge began on Jan. 27, only the Sharks have conceded more expected points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, giving up just 2.24 points at 5-on-5 in that span. It’s only xG/60.
Only St. Louis, Anaheim and San Jose rank below them in this category.
Despite this, the Rangers continue to win, which should surprise no one.
This has been the Blueshirts’ MO for the past three seasons.
The Rangers have great special teams, elite playmakers, and a world-class goalie.
They don’t have to tip the ice to win. All they have to do is take their chances and force their opponents to miss their chances. That’s what usually happens.
In many ways, the Lightning are like a poorer version of the Rangers this season.
The Volts aren’t great at 5-on-5, but they make up for it with a league-leading power play, an elite core led by Nikita Kucherov, and an all-game goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The big difference in this matchup is that the Rangers have depth up front and on the blue line, while Tampa Bay has a lot more depth at the top.
Would you bet on the NHL?
The betting markets have been skeptical of both teams all season and it’s easy to see why, but this is the kind of matchup that suits the Rangers.
They are just an improved version of the Lightning at this point, and should be favorites in this matchup even on the road.
Recommended: Rangers (-115, BetMGM)
