Rangers Favored to Beat Lightning in Eastern Conference Showdown Wednesday

What: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
When: Wednesday, February 7th
Where: Madison Square Garden

The Tampa Bay Lightning officially begin their second half of the 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday evening in the Big Apple as they visit the high-flying New York Rangers at the iconic Madison Square Garden. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM ET. Tampa hasn't played since January 27th and has actually won their last three games by 6-3 scorelines. New York meanwhile played on Monday night, winning a nailbiter against the Colorado Avalanche in overtime. This should be a very entertaining matchup considering the talent on both sides. Below, find the Lightning vs Rangers picks.

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Lightning vs Rangers Odds

Team
Tampa Bay Lightning	+116	+110	+115
New York Rangers	-130	-130	-135

The first-place Rangers are a home favorite on Wednesday with -130 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 56.52%. The Lightning return at +116 and have a 46.30% chance of taking this one on the road. The total is set at 6.5 goals. New York has won six of the last seven against Tampa, including two straight victories where they've outscored the Bolts 11-4.

Lightning Trending in Right Direction

Tampa got off to a slow start to begin the 2023-24 campaign, but they're getting hot at the perfect time. Jon Cooper's team is now third in the always competitive Atlantic Division with a 27-18-5 record, sitting behind only the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins. The month of January was a huge one for the Bolts, only losing three times in 12 games. There was truly no better way to roll into the All-Star Break in Toronto and the hope will be that Tampa can keep it rolling.

Heading into Wednesday, the Lightning are 8-2-0 in the last 10 contests. As previously mentioned, they've scored 18 goals in the previous three outings, shedding a light on this squad's offensive brilliance. Leading the way in that category is Nikita Kucherov, who leads the NHL with 85 points. He's scored 32 goals and tallied 53 assists. The core four for the Bolts are truly outstanding, with Brayden Point and Victor Hedman also at the 50-point mark. Steven Stamkos has 47 points as well and will likely stay put despite recent trade rumors. In total, five players have tallied at least 40 points for Tampa Bay. Very impressive.

That being said, playing on the road isn't exactly a strong suit for the Lightning. They own a 10-13-2 record away from Amalie Arena, where the team is 17-5-3. It'll be interesting to see if the Bolts can continue their recent brilliance and snatch a road win from a very good Rangers group at MSG.

Rangers Are Rolling

The Rangers are usually a decent team but this season they look like a legitimate contender who could win a Stanley Cup. New York is top dog in the Metropolitan Division with a 31-16-5 record for a total of 65 points, which is also third in the Eastern Conference overall behind the Panthers and Bruins. While the Rangers have won back-to-back games, they're just 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. The All-Star Break was needed.

But, Peter Laviolette's squad fought hard for points on Monday evening at home against the Avs. Colorado took the early lead in the first period before NY finally equalized in the third through superstar Artemi Panarin. In OT, Alexis Lafreniere played hero, beating Alexandar Georgiev for the winner. Before the victory over the Avalanche, the Rangers also hammered the Senators 7-2 prior to the All-Star festivities. On both ends of the ice, this is a solid team with lots of talent. They rank 12th in goals scored and ninth in fewest goals allowed.

Panarin is the leading catalyst with an impressive 31 goals and 36 assists, while Mika Zibanejad has 15 goals and 32 assists, too. The likes of Victor Trocheck, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere are all key pieces for the Rangers as well. The balance up and down this roster is clearly spectacular, with eight different guys compiling a minimum of 20 points. You can see why New York is in first place. The Rangers have a solid record both home and away but at MSG, it's even better. They're 16-7-0.

Lightning vs Rangers Picks

Between New York's dominance of the Lightning in recent memory and their impressive play at Madison Square Garden, the best bet here does seem pretty obvious. Take the Rangers moneyline on Wednesday evening. There's value.

Rangers moneyline Vs Lightning

-130

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