The Tampa Bay Lightning are far and away the best team in the NHL right now and are winners of six straight entering Monday’s home matchup with the New York Rangers. Tampa has averaged five goals per game during its win streak and has gained at least a point in five straight contests with the Rangers, going 3-0-2 SU in that span. Sportsbooks opened the Bolts as heavy -265 home favorites with a total of 6.5.
- The total has gone OVER in seven of the Rangers’ last 10 games on the road vs the Lightning.
- The Lightning are 8-1 SU in their last nine games vs teams with losing records.
- The total has gone OVER in the Rangers’ last three games (avg. combined score: 7.67).
Rangers vs Lightning Game Center
Domingue has done an excellent job in place of Vasilevskiy
The Lightning found the back of the net early and often on Saturday, topping the Colorado Avalanche 7-1 in a game where captain Steven Stamkos notched two goals to go along with two assists. Left-winger Ondrej Palat, who sat out 16 games due to a lower-body injury earlier this year, scored his first two goals of the campaign on Saturday while skating with Stamkos and Yanni Gourde. Goaltender Louis Domingue has done admirably while filling in for the injured Andrei Vasilevskiy, as the netminder is 10-3-0 since Vasilevskiy went down with a foot injury.
New York coughed up leads three times before edging the Florida Panthers 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday. Center Mika Zibanejad scored in the triumph and has seven of his team-leading 26 points over the past five games. The Rangers haven’t fared well on the road in 2018-19, however, going 4-8-2 away from Madison Square Garden.
Lightning are perfect against the Metropolitan this year
Can the Lightning continue their dominance against the Metropolitan Division this season? Tampa is a fantastic 8-0-0 SU in eight tilts with the Metropolitan, while the Rangers are 6-3-1 vs the Atlantic in 2018-19. New York is 1-4 SU and on the puckline in its past five road games.
When it comes to the total, bettors may want to pay close attention to the OVER. In the previous 10 matchups between the Lightning and Rangers, the OVER is 7-3. The OVER is also 4-1 in the Lightning’s past five with a closing total of 6.5 or more and 3-0 in New York’s last three overall with an average combined score of 7.7 goals.
Domingue slated to start for the Bolts
The Lightning are expected to turn back to Domingue in the crease for Tampa Bay. Domingue (13-4-0, 2.94 goals-against average, .906 save percentage) is 7-1-0 on home ice this season.
