New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Prediction
🔊 Can the home team salvage their season? The Rangers are struggling to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Their chances for ultimate success are dwindling, potentially marking this as the biggest disappointment of the season. Tampa, on the other hand, have long since secured their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but their recent performances have left fans wanting more.
Head-to-Head
In the current regular season, the opponents have already faced off once. At the end of December, the Lightning left the Rangers with no chance on their home ice, securing a 6-2 victory. The competitive edge disappeared by the start of the second period when the visitors took a two-goal lead. Forward Brayden Point played a pivotal role in his team's success, scoring a goal and providing two assists. The Canadian is having another strong season, amassing 76 points in 71 games.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
New York Rangers Team Overview
Peter Laviolette's squad are struggling to gain momentum at the end of the regular season, unable to make the decisive push into playoff contention. Once considered one of the Eastern Conference favorites, they've completely faltered this season. It's already a fact that can be stated with certainty. Their chances for a comeback are slim, and even if they manage it, securing eighth place is a disappointing outcome for a team that reached the conference finals last season. In their last five games, the Rangers have suffered three losses and now trail Montreal by four points. Even six consecutive wins won't be enough to save them. They can only hope for their rivals to slip up.
Match Results: New York Rangers
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Overview
The Lightning seem to have lost their motivation. The visitors have suffered two consecutive defeats and are now unlikely to overtake Toronto for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, as they trail by four points. After failing against Ottawa (1-2) and Buffalo (2-3 OT), the club has made a first-round matchup with Florida almost inevitable. Before the "Sunshine Derby," John Cooper's squad will face the Rangers twice, as well as take on Toronto and the Panthers once each. Each of these encounters presents its own challenges, but the team has already accomplished their main goal for the regular season.
Match Results: Tampa Bay Lightning
📌 Projected Lineups
Rangers: Shesterkin - Miller, Borgen - Othmann, Trocheck, Panarin
Tampa: Vasilevskiy - Hedman, Moser - Guentzel, Point, Kucherov
🥅 Goalies
Rangers' goaltender Igor Shesterkin has been underwhelming towards the end of the regular season. The former SKA player has failed to maintain a save percentage above 90% in three consecutive games and has a seasonal average of just 90.4%. These are the worst stats of his career overseas, which is quite surprising following his record-breaking $11 million contract for a player of his position.
Tampa's goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has only once failed to save over 90% of shots in his last four games, and it was during that game his team lost to Ottawa (1-2). The product of Ufa's hockey school heads into the playoffs in excellent form.
Editorial Prediction
The Rangers are backed into a corner with no room for error left. Every slip-up could be fatal, and defeating the favorites under such conditions becomes an even more daunting task. However, the head-to-head history favors the New York side, as the Lightning have failed to secure a regulation win in 8 out of their last 9 meetings at Madison Square Garden. We believe this trend will continue, and the home team will at least manage to hold a draw in regulation time. Our bet - Rangers will not lose.
Betting Tips: New York Rangers - Tampa Bay Lightning
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