Tampa Bay vs. Rangers: NHL Match Prediction
Tampa Bay will play at home on December 29, where they will face a very serious opponent in the form of the Rangers. The Cops continue to be on the decline, which the Lightning will try to take advantage of. Our experts have prepared a forecast in which they will tell you about the clubs' latest matches, and also help you decide on bets

Command Analysis

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current form
Tampa Bay ended their three-game home series on a less than ideal note. The team faced Florida and was unable to put up a decent fight against such a powerful opponent, losing 2-4. Goalie Vasilevsky did not perform well, reflecting only 88% of shots. Before that, the Lightning compensated for their less than reliable defense with high scoring, which allowed them to secure a confident victory over Columbus (5-3). In particular, forward Paul deserves praise, as he scored a goal and made two assists. The team also dealt with St. Louis (3-1) without any problems. This time, Vasilevsky played much better and did not allow the Mustangs to cling to a comeback.
The Lightning then traveled to visit the Panthers, where they took revenge in the return match, and crushed their opponents with a score of 4:0. The main star of the match was goalie Johansson, who blocked all 36 shots and got the fourth shutout of his career. The club is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, with 40 points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Tampa has no serious losses in the team. Only Moser and Giicky are in the infirmary.
Interesting trends for betting
- Tampa Bay averages four goals per game
The club continues to be one of the most productive in the league.
- On average, the Lightning receive nine penalty minutes per game.
But the team still has problems with discipline. The Lightning break the rules too often.

New York Rangers

Current form
The Rangers still can't get their act together and continue to lose points from match to match. It seemed that after the broken losing streak and the 3-1 win over Dallas, the team would gain confidence in their abilities and continue to show their best side, but that didn't happen. The Cops hosted Carolina and couldn't show their attacking potential, which led to another defeat (1-3). Over three periods, the team made only 23 shots at the Hurricanes' goal, which, of course, wasn't enough.
Next, New York went to visit New Jersey, where they did not score a single goal, and this time they made 12 shots on goal. Such a terrible attack game was the reason for the rout (0:5). It is difficult to say when the club will again begin to consistently please fans with effective attack game, but so far there are no prerequisites for this. The long decline led to the Rangers dropping to 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and the gap from the playoff zone is already five points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Rempe will definitely not be able to take part in the upcoming fight due to disqualification. Miller is also in question.
Interesting trends for betting
- The Rangers average ten penalty minutes per game.
The "cops" are experiencing discipline problems.
- The team scores an average of 2.8 goals per match
The club also cannot boast of high attacking performance this season.
Trends
Bet First Goal: Rangers
The Rangers have opened the scoring in five straight head-to-head matches
2.08Goal in each period bet - yes
In three of the four head-to-head matches, the teams scored a goal in each period
1.45Tip and bets
Tampa Bay has a great opportunity to earn extra points. Firstly, the team will play at home, where with the support of fans it has every chance of success. Secondly, the Rangers are in terrible shape and are not able to give a worthy rebuff to their competitors. The Lightning, unlike the Cops, have been beating almost any opponent on their way for a long time, so we suggest betting in their favor for an excellent coefficient.
Our prediction is Tampa Bay win at 2.06
Bet on total
Even despite Tampa very high efficiency, you shouldn't expect a large number of goals scored. The "Cops" still can't get their attacking game going, and lately they've been scoring no more than two goals per game and mostly rely on defense.
Forecast - total under six goals for 1.78
Bet on the outcome of the first period
Tampa Bay should create serious problems for the Rangers in the first period. The Lightning will take advantage of their opponent poor form from the very beginning of the match and create serious pressure on them, which will allow them to earn an advantage at the end of the opening period.
Prediction - Tampa Bay win in the first period with a handicap of (0) for 1.66