The Tampa Bay Lightning host the New York Rangers for Game 3 but have a 0-2 series deficit to overcome. While they’re not in full-panic mode yet, a sense of urgency can be felt for the Lightning. They came close in Game 2, keeping the score tight, but the Rangers held on to a 3-2 lead to secure another win at home. Can they even up the series with the energy of their home crowd? This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
New York Rangers (+145) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (-175)
If the odds for Game 3 are of any indication, Tampa Bay should win and get back into the series. They were handed a second consecutive postseason loss for the first time in three years and now face some adversity after sweeping the Florida Panthers. The Lightning were tightly matched against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Andrei Vasilevskiy managed to turn on the heat late into the series. He’s been solid for the most part, but second-best in a series against the Rangers won’t be good enough.
The Rangers got a second goal from Mike Zibanejad, someone the Lightning don’t want catching momentum. He’s being carefully watched, and defenders are on him whenever the puck touches his stick. Unfortunately for them, Zibanejad is a sneaky player who finds open spaces, and he’s already put two past Vasilevskiy so far. The Rangers are red-hot right now, and it’s tough to bet against them. Their odds to win (+145) bring incentive to put some cash on them to take a 3-0 series lead.
Over/Under
We’ve gone two-for-two with the over/under on total goals so far, so why not make it three? The Lightning are no strangers to running up the score, especially in front of their home crowd. It isn’t much of a problem to take chances when Vasilevskiy is your goaltender, as he can minimize the errors made defensively. Igor Shesterkin is playing lights-out hockey right now, and the Rangers have showcased they can score on the road. Let’s go with the over (O 5.5, +110) and hope history repeats between these two high-offensive teams.
Game Props
In five home games spread across two series, the Lightning have registered over 31 shots in three of them. With the amount of firepower they possess, it’s not hard to see why they produce so many shots on goal. Given the fact that they’re down 2-0 against the Rangers, they’ll do everything possible to get their fans jumping out of their seats. The over/under for Shesterkin’s total shots faced (O 31.5, -120) looks like a real possibility, and we’re going with the over. Tampa Bay has recorded over 31 shots in both instances of Game 3 this year, so look for them to repeat that once more.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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