The'Tampa Bay Lightning'and New York Rangers open their regular seasons Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning at Rangers, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
This is a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, which the Lightning won 4-2. After dropping the first 2 games of the series, Tampa Bay took the next 4 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, which it lost to Colorado 4-2.
The Rangers were red-hot at MSG last season, riding a combination of solid goaltending and high-octane offense, which is often a recipe for success in the NHL. New York has won 35 of its past 51 games at MSG.
The Rangers beat the Lightning in all 3 regular-season games last season, 2 on the road and 1 at home – a 4-0 shutout Jan. 2.