NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 07: Jake Guentzel #59 of the Tampa Bay Lightning attempts to carry the puck around Will Borgen #17 of the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden on April 07, 2025 in New York City. The Lightning defeated the Rangers 5-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Lightning look to make it three wins in a row and enter the postseason on a bit of a winning streak.
Tampa is 47-26-8 and sits second in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning will be the second seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this game will serve as a final tune-up. The offense is trending upward, and this team recently beat the New York Rangers 5-1 on the road just ten days ago.
New York is 38-36-7 and ranks fifth in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers were just a few wins away from making the playoffs, but couldn't string together a late-season win streak. Instead, they played inconsistent hockey; some nights the scoring was there but the defense wasn't, and vice versa. New York couldn't find the right balance in their game down the stretch.
Spread
- Lightning +1.5 (-220)
- Rangers -1.5 (+190)
Moneyline
- Lightning +117
- Rangers -130
Total
- OVER 5.5 (-130)
- UNDER 6 (+100)
*The above data was collected on April 17, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Lightning vs Rangers Betting Trends
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games.
- Tampa Bay is 8-4 SU in their last 12 games against NY Rangers.
- Tampa Bay is 2-7 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers' last 5 games.
- NY Rangers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers' last 6 games against Tampa Bay.
Lightning vs Rangers Injury Reports
Tampa Bay Lightning
- Luke Glendening, C - Day-to-day
- Mitchell Chaffee, RW - Day-to-day
- Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW - Out
New York Rangers
- Braden Schneider, D - Out
- Arthur Kaliyev, RW - Out
- Adam Edstrom, C - Injured Reserve
Lightning vs Rangers Predictions and Picks
The Lightning battle the Rangers in this Atlantic vs Metropolitan Division matchup. Tampa Bay is 6-1-3 in its last ten games and has the best goal differential in the Eastern Conference at +79. The Lightning rank first in scoring, third in goals against, fifth on the power play, and sixth on the penalty kill. The Bolts look ready to make a deep playoff run.
In their last game, Tampa Bay beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 at home. The Lightning built a 4-0 lead and never looked back. They outshot the Panthers 31-24, and their penalty kill went 4-for-4. Brayden Point was the first star of the game, recording one goal and two assists. Tampa will look to set the tone early again with another multi-goal first period.
The Rangers are 4-5-1 in their last ten games and have a -3 goal differential. Lately, New York has struggled at home against playoff-bound teams, especially on the defensive end. Their power play ranks near the bottom of the league, though they are 12th in scoring. Artemi Panarin leads the team in goals, assists, and points.
In their last game, New York defeated the Panthers 5-3 on the road. The Rangers came back twice and scored four unanswered goals. Florida outshot New York 30-25 and played the more physical game, but the Rangers took care of the puck and kept competing. They'll need to carry that offensive momentum into this matchup against Tampa.
Best Bet: Over
Both of these teams have played in five straight games that hit the over. Tampa Bay is the highest-scoring team in the league, and the last time they faced New York, they scored three goals in the first period. Lately, the Rangers have either been scoring a lot or giving up a lot. Either way, New York will try to keep pace with the Bolts in their final game of the regular season.
