The 2022-23 NHL season opens with a matchup between Eastern Conference rivals in one of the world’s greatest sports spotlights. The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning meet at Madison Square Garden to begin the NHL’s North American regular season, opening the 2022-23 season in earnest.
Eastern Conference Finals
The Rangers and Lightning met in the Eastern Conference finals, with Tampa Bay earning their third straight Stanley Cup appearance and ending New York’s season.
The New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning is one of two NHL matchups opening the season on Tuesday night.
Our Rangers vs Lightning betting preview we’ll get you primed for the heavyweight matchup set to open the 2022-23 NHL season.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 P.M. from the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
NHL Previous Scoreboards
The last time the Rangers and the Lighting met was in game 6 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. Tampa Bay won that game 2-1 and the series 4-2 to move on to the Stanley Cup finals. Tampa Bay stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to win four straight games over the Rangers.
In their last preseason outing, the New York Rangers lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders. The Tampa Bay Lightning won their final preseason matchup, defeating the Florida Panthers 5-2.
Rangers vs. Lightning Matchup Information
- Game: New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
- Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
- Game Time: Tuesday, October 11, 2022. 7:30 P.M. ET
- Watch: ESPN/ESPN+
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Analysis
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are preparing for a hopeful long 2022-23 season extending their NHL schedule into June.
The Rangers have three strong lines, a talented defensive core, and a game-changing franchise goaltender.
Atop the Metropolitan Division
If all goes well for the New York, the Rangers will be battling the Carolina Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division all season long.
The New York Rangers finished the preseason with a 2-4-0 record. Two of these six matchups ended within a one-goal spread.
NHL Injuries could be a factor and should be considered before making any Rangers vs Lightning betting wagers.
Injury Lineup Breakdown
The New York Rangers have starting goalie Igor Shesterkin, defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba, a left winger Sammy Blais are all listed as day-to-day.
We’d check closer to puck drop on Shesterkin’s status for the season opener before making any final picks.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Where do we begin with the Tampa Bay Lightning? Do we start with the 2021-22 Lighting stats or that they’ve gone to three straight Stanley Cup finals, only losing to the unstoppable Colorado Avalanche in 2022?
We’ll start with the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning will remain a contender in the Eastern Conference but will be in tougher competition with Florida, Toronto, and Ottawa all looking to overthrow the Lightning.
2022-23 NHL Preseseaon
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a lousy preseason on paper, ending the 2022-23 NHL preseason with a 1-4 record.
No one ever expected a team who has gone to three consecutive Stanley Cup finals to send their most competitive roster to the ice throughout the regular season. Of these five preseason games, only one game ended within a one-goal spread.
Representative Lineup
Notable for this Rangers vs Lightning betting preview: when the Lightning finally sent a representative lineup on the ice, they won (5-2 win against the Panthers) against a competitive lineup, albeit with their backup goalie in net.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has a couple of names to report on. We expect Andre Vasilevskiy to get the start for the Lightning, while Mikhail Sergachev is listed as day-to-day.
While not an impact player, it should be noted that Ian Cole has been suspended indefinitely for sexual abuse allegations and will remain out of the line-up until legal and official investigations have been completed.
Rangers vs. Lightning Betting Preview
Moneyline:
Online sportsbooks have the New York Rangers listed as the slight moneyline betting favorite, listed between -109 and -120 odds. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the moneyline betting underdog, listed between +106 and -108.
Puck line spread:
The Rangers vs Lightning betting odds have the spread set at 1.5 goals, with Tampa Bay (+1.5) being a significant betting favorite, listed between -238 and -303.
The puck line spread is a potential choice for your Rangers picks today, with New York (-1.5) listed as the betting underdog between +195 and +230.
Total Goals:
Last year’s NHL player stats contribute to the Rangers vs Lightning betting odds for total goals. The Lightning and Rangers have two of the best goalies in the NHL, and oddsmakers and betters have taken note.
The total goals are set at 5.5, with the over listed at either -105 and -106, while the under is listed between -114 and -115.
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Prediction
Our Rangers vs Lightning betting pick depends on the starting goalie for either team. These two teams are expected to win and are competitive throughout the year, with goaltending as a significant key.
Who to Bet On?
This game should be close with Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy in the net, so we’d take the under if you like a total goals bet.
However, for our Rangers vs Lightning betting pick, we’re taking the New York Rangers (-1.5) to cover the puck line spread at odds between +195 and +230. We expect a 3-1 final score in favor of the Rangers.
NHL Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+220)
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