New York Rangers will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals on Friday evening. The home side wants to pick up where it left off and increase its advantage in the series. The visitors look forward to leveling the tie before moving it to their ice.
New York continued its good form and took advantage of playing in front of its fans. The hosts now want to provide another good display and defend the home ice. On the other hand, Tampa Bay didn’t manage to shake off the rustiness in the opening match of the series. However, the away side won’t give up on its chances of snatching a win on the road.
New York Rangers – Can they defend the home-ice advantage?
The Rangers didn’t have much time to prepare for the conference finals after going through seven games against the Hurricanes, but they continued the momentum. They extended their winning streak, celebrating a 6-2 victory at the start of the tie. New York made a key difference in the second period, as they were 4-2 ahead before entering the final 20 minutes. The Rangers were tight in the back in the final third, while they netted two more times. However, New York had five shots less than their rivals, but they won 11 faceoffs more.
Mika Zibanejad has been the most productive player for the Rangers with 21 points, while Adam Fox also reached the 20-point mark, being the best assistant with 15. Andrew Copp and Artemi Panarin have contributed to New York’s offense with 13 pts each, while Frank Vatrano and Chris Kreider have combined for 22 points. Alexis Lafreniere and Ryan Strome are one point away from the 10-point mark, while Filip Chytil has chipped in with eight pts. On the other hand, Igor Shesterkin continues his great form, allowing 2.64 goals per contest and having a .929 save percentage.
Expected Line-Up: Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad
with best odds
Tampa Bay Lightning – Will they bounce back?
The Lightning didn’t continue their excellent form, especially on the road, and they suffered a defeat after six straight wins. Although the two-time defending champions were leveled during the second period, their offense wasn’t clinical enough in the first match of the conference finals. Tampa Bay won 11 faceoffs less than their rivals, but they fired five shots more than New York. Therefore, the visitors need to become solid in defense again to improve their chances of getting things even in this tie.
Nikita Kucherov leads the Bolts’ offense with 15 points and a team-high 11 assists. Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos have reached the ten-point mark, while Ondrej Palat has chipped in with nine pts. Ross Colton has eight points, while Corey Perry and Nicholas Paul have contributed to Tampa Bay’s offense with six points each. On the goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy has made all 12 appearances so far in the post-season. He has a very good .923 save percentage and concedes 2.53 goals per game on average.
Expected Line-Up: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jan Rutta, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Steven Stamkos
Expert Pick #1 – Lightning to Win @-130
Tampa Bay will be highly motivated to bounce back and level the tie, although New York has been very confident at home. I must admit it’s tempting to back the hosts on the plus money odds, but I’ll stick with the Bolts to win and get things even as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Over 5.5 @+100
The first encounter between these two sides has been pretty efficient, and they might continue in the same fashion. Since the margin is still 5.5, I think we’ll see six or more goals again. Give me the Over at the evens odds as the second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Lightning Over 2.5 @-160
Tampa Bay was pretty active in the offense in the series opener, but they were not clinical enough in front of the rival’s goal. I believe they can improve their finishing, and the visitors should produce at least three goals in this one. I’ll take this one as my third pick.
