Lightning vs Rangers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Lightning Leap on Rangers

Madison Square Garden and the New York Rangers welcome the buzzing Tampa Bay Lightning back to action on Wednesday night. 

New York topped the visiting Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in overtime on Monday in their own return to action, while Tampa Bay has been off since Saturday, January 27. The long layoff surrounding the NHL All-Star break has seen a lot of low-scoring games, and the Rangers are a small home favorite in the NHL odds with the total flip-flopping between 6.5 and 6 as of Wednesday morning.

Here are our free NHL picks and NHL player props for the Lightning vs. Rangers showdown on Wednesday, February 7.

Lightning vs Rangers odds

Lightning vs Rangers predictions

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the All-Star break on an absolute heater with a 17-8 stretch while scoring the fourth-most goals per game (3.64) during the run. Top goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy settling back in after missing the first 20 games of the season definitely has helped Tampa, but the two-time Stanley Cup champ still hasn’t found top form.

Vasilevskiy’s .899 save percentage, 2.85 GAA, and 0.08 goals saved above average per 60 minutes are well below his respective .918, 2.47, and 0.2 marks over the previous three seasons. I anticipate the rest to help the busy netminder, too. He paces the NHL in minutes played since returning on November 24.

Tampa Bay takes a league-high 29.9 power-play percentage into Madison Square Garden, and the Lightning have remained dangerous up a man with a 27.8% mark during the highlighted 25-game scorcher. 

The Bolts have also been able to pile up the wins while top-four defensemen Mikhail Sergachev (lower body) and Erik Cernak (upper body) have missed considerable time. Tampa will receive a notable boost with both projected to return on Wednesday.

On the flip side, even with their win Monday, the New York Rangers aren’t in top form. The Blueshirts sport a ho-hum 6-7-2 active record while scoring just 2.8 goals per game, and New York is turning to backup Jonathan Quick again Wednesday. Even with No. 1 Igor Shesterkin sporting a 4-5-1 record, .863 SV%, 3.25 GAA, and -0.52 GSAA per 60 across his past 10 starts, I give Tampa a larger edge in goal with Quick starting.

Finally, the Rangers were lucky to escape Monday’s game with a victory. The Colorado Avalanche dominated the expected goals (60%) and high-danger scoring chances (61.5%) battles. Give me the road underdog this Wednesday.

My best bet: Lightning moneyline (+117 at Pinnacle)

Lightning vs Rangers same-game parlay

Lightning moneyline

Mika Zibanejad Over 0.5 assists

+475 at bet365

I’m adding a non-correlating leg to my best bet to boost the odds for this same-game parlay through bet365. Mika Zibanejad skates in a top-line role and with the No. 1 power-play unit, and he’s second on the Rangers in assists per 60 minutes (2.0). He’s also collected an assist in five of the past eight games.

Additionally, I further value this SGP because bet365 has Zibanejad priced at +100 to go Over 0.5 assists against the Lightning on Wednesday. The true parlay odds of the Tampa Bay moneyline (+115) and Zibanejad to register a helper (+110) are just +330, so we’re landing a positive expected value of 34% with this +475 price.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Lightning vs Rangers moneyline and Over/Under analysis

Even with Quick being named the starter for New York, there has been no notable movement to this moneyline since opening. So, I don’t anticipate any significant adjustments leading into puck drop. The Rangers shellacked the Lightning 5-1 in the last meeting on December 30, but of course, Tampa Bay has gone 10-3 since.

This total is far more interesting. As noted, it’s already been moving between 6.5 and 6. The Over/Under record is 1-8-1 across the league out of the All-Star break, and the Rangers needed overtime to score twice last Monday against the Avalanche. Despite the trends for both teams pointing to the Over, I can understand why bettors are hesitant to expect a high-scoring game considering the low scores the past two nights.

For reference, the Over has hit in four of Tampa’s past six contests, and the total has gone Over the number in seven of New York’s past 10 home games. However, the Under has also hit in seven of the past nine meetings between the Lightning and Rangers.

Lightning vs Rangers betting trend to know

Tampa Bay has won eight of its past nine games. Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Rangers.

Lightning vs Rangers game info

Lightning vs Rangers latest injuries

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