The Eastern Conference Final is set and it’ll feature a spectacular matchup between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers are coming off a nerve-wracking Game 7 win over Washington in the conference semifinals. The Lightning had some struggles of their own, beating the Canadiens in six games.
Can the Rangers’ depth and experience help them get past a team which swept them in the regular season? Will the Lightning’s inexperience hinder them from making the Stanley Cup Final? Read on as a trusty collection of experts sound off with their Eastern Conference Final picks. Get ready for the heated Lightning vs. Rangers matchup with our complete series and Game 1 previews.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Expert Picks for the New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Eastern Conference Finals Series
CBS Sports
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Adam Gretz | Rangers in 6 |
| Chris Peters | Rangers in 7 |
[sc:NHL240 ]The New York Rangers will book a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, Adam Gretz of CBS Sports predicts. Gretz thinks the Rangers’ incredible depth will play a big role in upending the Lightning in six games. Even with Mats Zuccarello’s injury, the Rangers still have Derick Brassard, Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider capable of providing some offense. Rick Nash isn’t scoring plenty of goals for the Rangers this postseason, but he’s played quite well with seven points.
But what would clinch this series for the Rangers is the stellar play of Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes. Lundqvist has finished with a save percentage of .930 or higher in 11 of his 12 playoff games thus far. Those kinds of performances have kept the Rangers in games when they’ve struggled to score goals.
Gretz also notes that Lundqvist may be the best goalie left in the postseason. The King’s dominance in Game 7s should also play a huge part if Tampa Bay and New York go the distance. Lundqvist has now won six straight Game 7s and has only allowed five total goals in those games. The Rangers are -145 to book a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
United Press International
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| The Sports Network | Rangers in 7 |
CBS Sports believes Lundqvist’s stellar goaltending to keep the Lightning in check. But the Sports Network, through UPI, questions the Rangers’ defense against Tampa Bay’s excellent offense. Lundqvist’s 0-3 record with a 4.74 GAA against Tampa Bay in the regular season should be cause for some concern. It’s a far cry from his 8-4 record and 1.60 GAA performance this postseason. But if there’s a goalie who can turn it all around, it’s Lundqvist.
The Sports Network also notes Kreider’s inability to score during the regular season series against the Lightning. Kreider has been an important offensive cog for New York this postseason, sharing a team-high five goals with Brassard. But the Rangers’ playoff experience can’t be overlooked. This experience should help New York grind out the series win.
Grantland
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Sean McIndoe | Lightning |
Grantland’s Sean McIndoe agrees that the Rangers are a talented bunch, which could book back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Finals. New York is led by a world-class goalie in Lundqvist who is sporting a .944 save percentage and 1.60 GAA, tops among the remaining goalies in the playoffs. Lundqvist should be a sturdy wall to keep the Lightning’s high-flying offense out of the net.
But McIndoe believes that the young Lightning just have too much upside. Tyler Johnson, in particular, could be a Conn Smythe candidate with his postseason-high eight goals, including two game winners. Steven Stamkos could also make the Lightning’s offense unstoppable. After going scoreless in the first round, he rebounded by scoring three against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens.
Bleacher Report
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Steve Macfarlane | Lightning in 6 |
Steve Macfarlane of Bleacher Report is also banking on the Lightning to make the Stanley Cup Final. He notes that we may see plenty more one-goal games with Tampa Bay averaging 2.62 goals per game in the playoffs, while the Rangers score two per game. That situation should favor the Rangers, who’ve won all eight of their playoff victories by one goal margins.
But the Lightning were on fire in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. They scored 17 goals in six games against the best goalie in the league this season in Carey Price. Tampa Bay may not be intimidated by Lundqvist and his stellar play after scoring 14 against the New York goalie in the regular season. The Lightning offer some value at +115 to win the Eastern Conference Final.
ESPN
| Expert | Prediction |
|---|---|
| John Buccigross | Lightning in 7 |
| Scott Burnside | Lightning in 6 |
| Linda Cohn | Rangers in 7 |
| Craig Custance | Lightning in 6 |
| Sarah Goldstein | Rangers in 7 |
| Paul Grant | Rangers in 6 |
| Tim Kavanagh | Lightning in 6 |
| Pierre LeBrun | Rangers in 7 |
| Joe McDonald | Lightning in 6 |
| Barry Melrose | Rangers in 6 |
| Scott Powers | Lightning in 7 |
| Katie Strang | Rangers in 7 |
The Rangers vs. Lightning Eastern Conference Final is a very close series to call. ESPN’s panel of hockey experts (12 of them in total) are split in between with their picks. The Lightning have been killing it with their second line of the Triplets (Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat), who have scored 17 of the Lightning’s 34 playoff goals thus far. Johnson leads this postseason with eight goals. Kucherov is also hot heading into the Eastern Conference Final, scoring all six of his playoff goals against the Canadiens.
But the Rangers could realistically keep the Lightning off the board with the pair of defensemen in Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. McDonagh was a force on the blue line with three takeaways and five blocked shots in 29:02 time on ice in the Rangers’ Game 7 win against the Capitals. Along with Girardi, McDonagh kept the league’s highest regular season scorer, Alex Ovechkin, off the score sheet in four of seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
The experts have made their picks. It’s time to make yours. Create a betting account now and feel the thrill of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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