New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 Prediction and Betting Odds June 3

New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 Preview

WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his thoughts on Friday’s New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Eastern Conference Finals Game 2. The Rangers stunned the Lightning 6-2 in Game 1. Can Tampa Bay bounce back before heading home for two games?

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Friday, June 3	NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars
Moneyline:	New York Rangers +110 vs Tampa Bay Lightning -130
Puckline:	Rangers +1.5 (-235) / Lightning -1.5 (+205)
Total:	5.5 Goals (Over -100 / Under -120)
Game Time:	8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT
Arena:	Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
TV:	ESPN

New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Analysis

Offense was the name of the game in Wednesday’s Game 1 as the New York Rangers scored six goals for only the second time over these playoffs so far, although tellingly both of these occurrences have happened over just their previous two starts.

This season’s power play goals leader Chris Kreider opened the scoring for the Rangers early in the 1st period before two goals from Filip Chytil put New York firmly in command of the game and into a lead that they never relinquished.

That marks four straight victories now for the Rangers over the Lightning this season, a success they’ll look to continue in the Garden on Friday.

Tampa Bay Needs To Find More Consistency In Offense

Despite their success this postseason in overcoming an excellent Toronto Maple Leafs team in the first round and then following that up by sweeping the President’s Trophy winners the Florida Panthers in the next round, it’s been Tampa Bay’s defense which has been paramount to that success.

The Lightning’s offense meanwhile has continued to be frustratingly inconsistent, getting blanked in Game 1 against the Leafs only to turn around and score five goals in Game 2 and again in the second round against the Panthers, scoring 4+ goals in two of the games and 2 or fewer goals across the other two games.

Rangers Offense Humming Right Now

The New York Rangers meanwhile are absolutely heating up on offense over this postseason so far, averaging a sub-par 1.33 goals per game over their first three starts of the Carolina Hurricanes series, but a colossal 5.67 goals per game over their last three starts as they continue to find ways to score of late.

That offensive success was always liable to take off however as the Rangers averaged the league’s 4th highest high danger conversion rate this season at 13.2%.

New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction

We took the Under in Wednesday’s Game 1 and despite it not working out in that one, we trust the overall stats enough to come right back and take it in Game 2 as well.

Both Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy have been in red-hot form over these playoffs as a whole and they sit in front of defenses that both rank top five over this postseason on overall opponent scoring, with both holding opposing offenses to under 3 goals per game on average.

If the Lightning are going to even up this series then they need to start to implement what got them into this position in the first place, employing a defense that kept the league’s highest scoring offense this season in the Florida Panthers to just 0.75 goals per game on average.

Take the Under 5.5 goals on Friday in the Game 2 matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers.

Prediction: Under 5.5 Goals Scored

NHL Betting Guide

Thanks to the ever-expanding sports betting industry, there are now a variety of ways to attack the betting market outside of the traditional point spreads, moneylines and totals. Few sports have seen an increase of betting popularity like hockey, and we now have several different ways to wager on the NHL and international leagues. Check out our NHL Betting Guide with helpful terms and tips for novice bettors.

Puck Time | NHL Predictions for June 3

Join Carmine Bianco, Andrew McInnis and Dave Cokin for Friday’s edition of Puck Time as our panel of professional hockey handicappers break down tonight’s NHL playoff game between the New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning and look ahead to the Colorado Avalanche vs Edmonton Oilers Game 3 tomorrow.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of the NHL playoff action, including this New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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