The New York Rangers took care of home ice in Games 1 & 2, and now it is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s turn as this series heads to Florida.
The Bolts are hopeful that being on home ice can help them shift the momentum in this series back in their favor.
See who has the edge in our NHL betting picks and predictions for Rangers vs. Lightning on Sunday, June 5.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Lightning opened up as -175 home favorites, but the line has moved to -190. The total opened at 5.5 and hasn’t had any movement.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 predictions
Predictions made on 6/5/2022 at11:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 info
• Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, FL
• Date: Sunday, June 5, 2022
• Puck drop: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN, CBC
Rangers vs Lightning series odds
Rangers: -260
Lightning: +210
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 betting preview
Key injuries
Rangers: Sammy Blais F (Out).
Lightning: Brayden Point F (Doubtful)
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Rangers vs Lightning head-to-head record in the series
Rangers: 2-0, nine goals for.
Lightning: 0-2, four goals for.
Betting trend to know
The home team is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Rangers vs. Lightning.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning have lost back-to-back playoff games for the first time in nearly three years, and it is going to be a massive challenge for the New York Rangers to make it three in a row.
Tampa heads back home where it has been strong in the postseason thus far, going 4-1 at Amalie Arena. The Lightning have not played their best hockey in this series, but all we have seen from them in the last two postseasons is how resilient this group is.
One player to keep your eyes on for them is Nikita Kucherov. In the first two games, Kucherov has only recorded one goal and one assist, and I don’t know if the Rangers will be able to continuously shut him down. He has been an incredible playoff performer in his entire career, so I imagine that he will start to get back into stride at some point soon.
Andrei Vasilevskiy had a much better showing in Game 2 than what we saw in Game 1, and I have a feeling he will look even sharper on home ice. Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin are essentially neck and neck when it comes to statistics so neither team really has a goaltending advantage.
Tampa is going to come out of the gate with a ton of fight today and it is tough to bet against the two-time defending champs on home ice with their backs against the wall.
I like Tampa.
Prediction: Lightning moneyline (-190 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
We saw a much better goaltending performance from Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 2, and Igor Shesterkin continues to remain consistent in the blue paint for the New York Rangers.
We know both of these teams are talented up front and are more than capable of scoring goals, but the goaltending outweighs the offensive ability if you ask me.
Aside from Game 7, the Rangers struggled to score goals on the road in the second round and we might see them get a little rattled like they did at times against the Hurricanes. Game 2 snapped their power-play streak and it will be interesting to see how the man-advantage unit responds to being held scoreless.
Back to the goalies, Vasilevskiy is playing to a .921 SV% and a 2.58 GAA, while Shesterkin sporting a .929 SV% and a 2.60 GAA.
I expect Vasilevskiy to have his best game of the series and Shesterkin to have another strong showing.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (-125 at DraftKings)
Best bet
There is no denying the fact that the Rangers have looked excellent in the first two games, but playing on the road is a whole different animal, especially against a team like the Lightning who have a ton of experience being in this position.
Kucherov and Stamkos have been able to produce, but we haven’t seen them look very dominant yet.
Tampa is going to come out buzzing in the opening twenty minutes and the Rangers are going to have to weather the storm, but this will be an energy that this Rangers team has not seen yet.
I think Tampa puts up its biggest fight of the playoffs and makes this series interesting, and it will get the job done in regulation. Sorry folks, no free hockey tonight.
Pick: Lightning 3-way moneyline (-105 at DraftKings)
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