The New York Rangers will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, Thursday Feb 9th, at Madison Square Garden. The teams split each of the first two matchups, with each side earning a win in the other’s home arena. NHL oddsmakers have the Rangers as -200 moneyline home favorites over the Lightning (+165) with the over/under set at 5.5 goals. Be sure to your Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers 2012 NHL Predictions before they drop the puck.
Tampa Bay (23-24, 8-16 V) ran into a stingy Los Angeles defense, managing only to tie the game at 1-1 on Steven Stamkos’ league-leading 35th goal of the year before the Kings went on to get a pair of additional goals late in the second period to earn a 3-1 victory. They had their streak of seven consecutive games with at least a point come to an end on Tuesday night, but nonetheless comes into Thursday with some momentum, having won six of the past eight. The Bolts look to keep the recent stretch of success going in order to continue an upward push for the playoffs, but will have to do it on the road where they haven’t played more than two consecutive games since a three-game trip in early January.
Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis has points in all but one of his past 10 games, recording six goals and 16 points in that span. Bolts forward Steven Stamkos also has goals in three of his past four games and points in four straight.
New York (33-13, 16-6 H) has an Eastern Conference-best 71 points, also good for second place among all 30 NHL clubs, the Rangers have won two of the past three, but nearly put together a three-game win streak in the team’s most recent outing on Tuesday night against the division-rival Devils. Artem Anisimov appeared to tie the game at 1-1 with just three seconds left, but the goal was called off after Rangers forward Marian Gaborik was flagged for goaltender interference, allowing the Devils to escape with a slim 1-0 victory.
The Rangers have out-scored the Lightning, 6-4, in two games, including a 3-1 advantage in the third period. The Blueshirts have held the Lightning scoreless in five shorthanded situations, and have tallied one shorthanded goal in the season series. Artem Anisimov leads the Rangers in scoring with two goals and three points, while Brad Richards and Derek Stepan have recorded a team-high, two assists and three points apiece. Henrik Lundqvist is 1-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .930 SV% in the series. Marian Gaborik and Derek Stepan each have a pair of points in their past two games.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Lightning are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Underdog is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Road team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Rangers are 4-0 in their last 4 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Rangers are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
Rangers are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Southeast.
Lightning are 8-22 in their last 30 road games.
Lightning are 2-6 in their last 8 vs. Atlantic.
Lightning are 1-5 in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
When: Thursday, Feb 9th@7:00 PM EST
Pick: Rangers -200
Point-Spreads recommends you make your Lightning vs Rangers 2012 NHL Predictions before they drop the puck.
The Bottom Line: The Rangers are getting production and their goalie and power play is red hot. Want to dominate the books this season with some of the best NHL Picks experts in the business? Then sign up right now and get NHL Picks Free!
