Craving for some intense playoff action? Well tonight’s your lucky night as the NBA and NHL has served up a pair of mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your sporting appetite. Opening festivities later this evening is the pivotal Game 6 clash between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Then, over at the NBA, it’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Which teams will grab the all-important wins tonight? Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two critical matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Game 6 between Anaheim and Chicago.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (8:00 PM ET)
Line: New York Rangers (+110) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-130); total: 5.0 – view all Stanley Cup lines
[sc:NHL240 ]The Tampa Bay Lightning will head home with momentum on their side after recording a 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Steven Stamkos was the hero for the Lightning who moved to within a victory of their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
Stamkos set up Valtteri Filppula’s opening goal and scored another to help the Lightning grab a 3-2 series lead. Stamkos has been on fire for the Lightning of late, scoring seven goals in his last 10 playoff games. Credit must also go to goalie Ben Bishop who recorded 26 saves and posted his second career postseason shutout. It was a huge bounce-back game for Bishop who allowed 10 goals in the previous two games.
For the Rangers to force a Game 7, they will need to make the most of their power play opportunities. The Rangers went 0-for-4 in the power play in Game 6 against Tampa Bay. The Rangers had gone 6-of-13 with the man-advantage in Games 2-4.
The total has gone over in the Lightning’s last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Tampa Bay wins, 3-2, to book a place in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (8:30 PM ET)
Line: Atlanta Hawks (+7.5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5); total: 194.5 – view all NBA lines
The Cleveland Cavaliers grabbed a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a nerve-wracking 114-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of their best-of-seven showdown. Five players scored in double-figures for the Cavs who moved to within a victory of their second NBA Finals appearance.
LeBron James was the star of the show for Cleveland, scoring 37 points, grabbing 18 boards and dishing out 13 assists. It was James’ 12th career playoff triple double as he became the first player in NBA history to record such totals in a postseason game.
For the Hawks to avoid the four-game sweep, they will need to do a much better job in the battle of the boards. The Cavs have outrebounded the Hawks in every game thus far in this series with Cleveland owning a 152-118 rebounding edge against Atlanta.
The Cavs are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five home games against the Hawks.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland wins, 102-96, to complete the series sweep. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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