NHL Ice Hockey Betting – New York Rangers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
A game between the haves and have-nots will take place in the St. Pete Times Forum this Wednesday night when the New York Rangers (15-7-2) look to continue their strong effort in the NHL betting season when they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-8-6).
The Rangers easily handled the Coyotes as a -165 moneyline favorite their last time on the ice, cruising to the 4-1 sports betting win. Across the ice, the Lightning are trying to recover from the 7-3 beatdown they suffered at the hands of New Jersey their last time out.
RW Nikolai Zherdev continues to pay huge dividends for Rangers bettors, leading the team in scoring with 20 points after 24 games (7 G, 13 A) and is also the team’s +/- leader at +9. However, hockey bettors who wager on NHL games to go over the ‘total’ have seen a lack of scoring in most Rangers game, as only two of their last eight games have gone over.
Standout goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has been on fire recently winning his last four games in net for the Rangers. Lundqvist is on his way to another spectacular season and has a chance to add another Vezina Trophy to his mantle by sporting a pro hockey gambling record of 13-5-2 with a 2.09 GAA and a .926 save percentage. In his last game against the Lightning on November 6, Lundqvist stopped 36 of 38 shots to give the Rangers a 5-2 NHL wagering win.
Tampa Bay’s front office may have fired coach Barry Melrose just 16 games into his tenure, but the Lightning are still struggling to win hockey games losing three of four for Lightning bettors since his dismissal. Despite the coaching change, center Vincent LeCavalier has been one of the few bright spots on the season, currently leading the team in both goals (9) and points (16).
Goalie Mike Smith has been decent on the year, with a 5-4-5 record to go with a 2.35 GAA and a .932 save percentage, numbers much better than teammate Olaf Kolzig. Gamblers who like to bet on NHL games to go under the ‘total’ have appreciated Smith’s efforts in net as 10 of the 14 games he’s been between the pipes have gone under per the pro hockey betting odds.
NHL betting trends for both the professional and amateur bettor to know for this game are: New York is 12-5 in its last 17 games against other Eastern Conference teams; Tampa Bay is 17-36 in its last 53 games overall; and the Rangers are 6-2 in their last eight meetings against the Lightning.
Current NHL lines find the Rangers sitting as a -140 moneyline road favorite in this game with a ‘total’ of five goals shaded toward the over at -130 odds.
