Just two days after their best offensive performance in the playoffs, the New York Rangers were shut out on home ice Sunday in Game 5. The Rangers now have the stern challenge of tying the series on the road, against the best regular season home team in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Can the Rangers stave off elimination? Read on for a breakdown of this do-or-die Game 6.
The West is tied at 2-2 in the conference final. Check out our complete preview for the huge Blackhawks vs. Ducks Game 5.
[sc:NHLArticles ]New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 6 Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 at New York Rangers 2
Game 2 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 at New York Rangers 2
Game 3 – New York Rangers 5 at Tampa Bay Lightning 6 (OT)
Game 4 – May 22, 8:00 PM ET – New York Rangers 5 at Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Game 5 – May 24, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at New York Rangers 0
Game 6 – May 26, 8:00 PM ET – New York Rangers (+110) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-130); total: 5.0 – view all NHL lines
Game 7* – May 29, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers
*If necessary
Betting on the New York Rangers
[sc:NHL240 ]That was underwhelming from the President’s Trophy winners. The New York Rangers were shut out in a crucial Game 5 at Madison Square Garden after a five-goal performance in their last outing. Rick Nash, who scored twice in Game 4, was held scoreless on five shots on goal. Chris Kreider, the Rangers’ leading scorer this postseason with seven goals, was held to just two shots on goal.
What hurt the Rangers was their inability to convert on the man advantage. They went 6 for 13 in their last three games prior to going 0 for 4 in Game 5. New York has won six of nine games when scoring at least one power play this postseason.
Going down 3-2 in the series shouldn’t be too bothersome though. Facing elimination has brought out the best from the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist was stellar between the pipes with a .955 save percentage in winning three straight games after going down 3-1 against the Washington Capitals in the conference semifinal. He also impressed in Game 4 at Tampa, stopping 38 of 39 shots in a 5-1 rout.
Kreider also raised his game when facing elimination. He scored three goals on six shots on goal as the Rangers rallied to a series win in the conference semifinal. Nash could also bounce back after his dud in Game 5. Even if he fails to score, he can still create precious scoring opportunities for his teammates. Nash has six assists this postseason, third-most among the Rangers.
The total has gone over in the past four meetings at Tampa.
Betting on the Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are one win away from reaching their second Stanley Cup Final all thanks to Steven Stamkos. The Bolts captain set up Valtteri Filppula’s goal in the second period and scored another on the man advantage later on to lead Tampa Bay to a 2-0 victory.
It’s been quite a turnaround for Stamkos. He failed to score in the first eight games of the playoffs before netting seven in the past 10 games. The first line of Stamkos, Fillpula and Alex Kilorn has now scored eight goals in five games in the conference final. The captain in particular has been especially hot with one goal in each of the past four games.
While Tampa Bay’s first line is a handful to contain, its second light might even be better. The Triplets line (Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson) has combined to score 10 of its 25 playoff goals in the conference final. But the three failed to net a goal in Sunday’s 2-0 victory. They were also handily shut out in a 5-1 home loss in Game 4 on Friday.
The Bolts may be forced into another grinding, low-scoring game, and will need goalie Ben Bishop to be solid between the pipes. After allowing 10 goals in back-to-back games at Tampa, Bishop bounced back nicely in shutting out the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
But the Tampa Bay goalie hasn’t been as solid at home. He’s just 5-4 with a 2.61 GAA and .897 save percentage in nine home games this postseason.
The Bolts have won six of their last eight games against New York, including the regular season.
Writer’s Prediction
Tampa Bay (-130) books a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Create a betting account now and join in on all the playoff hockey action.
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