Rangers vs Lightning Odds, Picks, and Prediction for Saturday (Mar 19)
- The New York Rangers visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, March 19th
- The Rangers are listed as road underdogs in the Saturday NHL odds
- Read below for Rangers vs Lightning odds, picks and prediction
A busy Saturday in the NHL features a heavyweight matchup between the New York Rangers (38-18-5) and Tampa Bay Lightning (39-15-6) on March 19th. The puck drops at 8pm ET at Amalie Arena. ABC will carry the broadcast.
The Rangers are listed as +160 road underdogs in the Saturday NHL odds. The total is set at 5.5 for a matchup that features two elite goalies in Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Let’s take a look at the Rangers vs Lightning odds and find the NHL best bet for Saturday’s game.
Rangers vs Lightning Odds
| Game Time | Team | Puck Line | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Mar. 19 | New York Rangers | +1.5 (-167) | O 5.5 (-117) | +160 |
| 8pm ET | Tampa Bay Lightning | -1.5 (+138) | U 5.5 (-105) | -200 |
Odds as of Mar. 18th at Barstool Sportsbook.
The Lightning are listed at +138 odds on the puckline, while the Rangers are -167 to keep the game within two goals. Tampa Bay’s -200 moneyline price gives them 66.7% implied probability to win.
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Rangers Betting Analysis
New York enters Saturday’s matchup versus Tampa Bay sporting an 18-12-2 record on the road in 2021-22. The Rangers’ +160 moneyline price in the Saturday NHL odds means they have a 38.5% implied probability of beating the Bolts.
The Rangers have been profitable as a betting underdog this year, posting a 13-13 record when the opposing team is favored. This is primarily due to goalie Igor Shesterkin, who owns a .938 save percentage in 39 starts.
The Rangers’ goalie is the clear favorite in the Vezina odds.
Pics that go hard ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f58ugxwxYc
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 5, 2022
New York has won two of their past three games heading into Saturday’s matchup. Their last contest was a tightly played 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Thursday. The Rangers played well and outshot the Isles, but came away with the loss due to great goaltending from Ilya Sorokin.
Offense has been inconsistent for New York this season, which is why the team has gone 23-36 to the under in the NHL odds. The Rangers are only averaging 28.8 shots per game, which is fourth-worst in the league.
Chris Kreider paces the team in goals with 40 on the year.
Lightning Favorites in Saturday NHL Odds
The Lightning are listed as large home favorites in the Saturday NHL odds despite sitting neck-and-neck with the Rangers in the standings. The Bolts have a three-point lead over New York in the Eastern Conference NHL standings with a game in hand.
Tampa Bay’s -200 moneyline price is justified by the team’s impressive 19-5-4 record at Amalie Arena. The Bolts haven’t required extra time to win a game since Feb. 1, making their 60-minute line (-118) versus New York an appealing option for bettors looking to reduce the juice.
#BOLTSWIN pic.twitter.com/XMrgQCBRCh
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 17, 2022
Tampa Bay is returning home after a lengthy six-game road trip in which they posted a 3-3-0 record. The Bolts have been active ahead of Monday NHL’s Trade Deadline, acquiring Brandon Hagel from Chicago on Friday in exchange for Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh,
The Hagel trade doesn’t have a major impact on this NHL betting line, as the Bolts already have the seventh-highest scoring offense in the NHL. Hagel, who has 21 goals this season, is expected to slot in on Tampa Bay’s third line and solidify the team’s depth behind a lethal top-six.
Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy (.919 SV%) is expected to get the start in goal versus Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin on Saturday. This sets up an epic goalie duel in the Saturday NHL odds with the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner taking on the current Vezina favorite.
Rangers vs Lightning Pick & Prediction
When it comes to making a pick for Rangers vs Lightning, it’s hard to put much stock into the first two meetings this season. When these two teams played in January, the Rangers won 4-0 during a rare off night for Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay almost doubled the Rangers in shots (38-21).
Rangers vs Lightning Recent Results
| Date | Home-Away | Money Line | Puck Line | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/02/2022 | NYR 4 – TBL 0 | NYR | NYR | Under |
| 12/31/2021 | TBL 3 – NYR 4 SO | NYR | NYR | Over |
| 11/14/2019 | TBL 9 – NYR 3 | TBL | TBL | Over |
| 10/29/2019 | NYR 4 – TBL 1 | NYR | NYR | Under |
| 02/27/2019 | NYR 3 – TBL 4 OT | TBL | NYR | Over |
Vasilevskiy should be motivated to turn in a better performance against the Rangers in the rematch. Backup Brian Elliott started the previous meeting in December in which the Rangers prevailed 4-3 in a shootout.
This Rangers offense has been too inconsistent to back them on the road against a very good Bolts team. Over the past month, the Rangers are 19th in high-danger chances generated, while the Lightning rank fourth-best in high-danger chances allowed.
Here are some betting trends to note for Rangers vs Lightning:
- Lightning are 21-6 in their last 27 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days
- Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Tampa Bay
The Lightning have a great track record when returning home after a lengthy road trip. Look for the Bolts’ offensive depth to be the difference against a Rangers team that relies heavily on their top six. Take Tampa Bay to win in regulation at -118 in the Saturday NHL odds.
Pick: Lightning 60-minute line (-118)
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
