Welcome back to another day of NHL Predictions. Daily, the Last Word on Hockey team takes you through each game and breaks down all you can expect. Including trends, issues, and matchups, giving a prediction at the end. This week, we’re into the Conference Finals so there is only one game per day. Tonight, Game 2 of the Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers will take place.
NHL Predictions with Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
Series: Lightning 0 – 1 Rangers
The New York Rangers took Game 1 of this series in a pretty convincing fashion. Some wondered if Tampa having nine days off while New York had just one would lead to some rust and it sure did. The Rangers struck early on a bad defensive collapse from Tampa. Something you don’t see too often. The Rangers got on Andrei Vasilevskiy early and kept it that way, which is what will be needed multiple times this series to have a chance. Now, it’s about trying to do what no team has done in back-to-back games for three years in the playoffs – Beat the Lightning again.
Tampa’s record coming off of a loss in the playoffs is flawless. They are a staggering 17-0 coming off a loss since the 2020 Bubble where they won their first of the two cups. Vasilevskiy has been a huge part of that, being virtually unbeatable. He is boasting a 1.47 Goals Against Average coming off of a loss. This team rarely is beaten twice, it is why they have been the best in the league for so many years now.
The good news for the Rangers? If there is anyone who is comfortable with a low-scoring game it is them. On the other side of things, Igor Shesterkin has the chance to prove just how good he is. Shesterkin was the team’s rock this year, having one of the best analytical seasons for a goalie we have ever seen. Tonight may be his chance to duel with Vasilevskiy and show what he is made of. Expect a low-scoring game, all things considered.
Prediction: Lightning win 3-2 in Overtime.
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