Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference Final Game 1 – May 16, 2015

The Eastern Conference Final won’t be any short on drama. The New York Rangers took a dramatic Game 7 with an overtime goal against the Washington Capitals in the semifinals. The Tampa Bay Lightning, on the other hand, overcame a couple of stumbles to end the Montreal Canadiens’ season in six games.

If that wasn’t enough, the Rangers will face a couple of former teammates in Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman. Read on for a complete look at Game 1 of this electrifying series. You can also view the breakdown for the Eastern Conference Final Series here. Want more Stanley Cup Playoffs action? Check out our preview for the Blackhawks vs. Ducks.
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Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers Game 1 Preview

Series Scores and Schedule

Game 1 – May 16, 1:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers – view all NHL lines

Game 2 – May 18, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers

Game 3 – May 20, 8:00 PM ET – New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 4 – May 22, 8:00 PM ET – New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 5* – May 24, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers

Game 6* – May 26, 8:00 PM ET – New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 7* – May 29, 8:00 PM ET – Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers

*If necessary

Betting on the Tampa Bay Lightning

Get ready because the Tampa Bay Lightning are coming to Rangerstown. The Lightning won both their visits to Madison Square Garden this season, outscoring the Rangers 11-4 in those two games. Tampa Bay can seize home ice if it can continue with its excellent offense in the playoffs. The Lightning are ranked fourth among all playoff teams with 2.62 goals per game.

[sc:NHL240 ]Tampa Bay’s first line of Alex Killorn, Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan were excellent in the two regular season games at Madison Square Garden, combining for seven points. Of the three, Callahan may miss this game after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Monday. He may not be missed much, though, considering his paltry performance in the conference semifinals. Callahan didn’t record a point in six games against Montreal.

Callahan’s replacement isn’t much better. Jonathan Marchessault, recalled from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, takes Callahan’s spot in Stamkos’ line. He has played in just five career NHL games thus far, one in this year’s playoffs.

What could cause the most damage for Tampa Bay is its amazing second line which consists of the Triplets (Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov). Johnson has scored a postseason-high eight goals thus far. He has seven points in six regular season games against the Rangers in his career. Palat finished with four points in the two-game set at Madison Square Garden in the regular season, while Kucherov had two. The Triplets have combined for 31 postseason points in 13 playoff games.

Ben Bishop has also been quite stellar for the Lightning. He’s been solid between the pipes going 8-5 with a 1.81 GAA and .931 save percentage, while playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career. Bishop shouldn’t be under too much fire against the anemic Rangers offense. The Rangers are scoring just 2.00 goals per game in the playoffs, 15th among 16 playoff teams.

The Lightning have won four of their last six playoff road games.

Betting on the New York Rangers

“You probably shorten your life a little bit. It’s so intense, and the heart rate is up.” That’s what overtime pressure does to you, according to Henrik Lundqvist. Thankfully, “the King” thrives under such situations stopping eight overtime shots from the Capitals to lead New York to victory. Lundqvist stopped 35 of 36 shots overall in Game 7 to lead the Rangers to a 2-1 win over Washington.

Lundqvist has been virtually unbeatable at this year’s playoffs. His 1.60 GAA and .944 save percentage are tops in the postseason among goalies who’ve started each of his team’s games thus far.

But Lundqvist may be in for a rough outing when the Rangers host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. He allowed 14 goals on 79 shots for a .823 save percentage in three regular season games against the Lightning. He lost all three of those games.

If the Rangers are to keep their home ice advantage, they’ll need to tighten up on their defense. Better coverage of opposing players should help the Rangers block plenty of shots even before they reach Lundqvist. Blue liners Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh lead in this regard. Girardi has the second most blocked shots in the postseason (47), while McDonagh ranks 13th with 25. The Rangers have the best defense among all playoff teams, allowing just 1.67 goals per game.

The Rangers could pile up the pressure on the relatively inexperienced Lightning with their incredible depth. First line center Derick Brassard leads the team with eight points (five goals and three assists) in the playoffs, while Derek Stepan also has eight points (three goals and five assists) from the second line. Chris Kreider has also been quite a contributor for the Rangers from the second line with five goals.

The Rangers have won five of their last seven playoff games at Madison Square Garden.

Writer’s Prediction

New York gets to a fast start to take Game 1.

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