Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers Betting Pick & Prediction 4/7/25
The Lightning and Rangers are set to face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Rangers will host the game at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The Lightning are the -1.5 goal favorite in this Eastern conference matchup against Rangers. The over/under for the game is set at 6 goals.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS NEW YORK RANGERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: New York Rangers +1.5
This game will be played at Madison Square Garden at 7:00 ET on Monday, April 7th.
WHY BET THE NEW YORK RANGERS:
- Coming in as 1.5 goal favorites, our projections have the Lightning picking up a 4-3 win.
- Take the Lightning on the moneyline
- On the puck line, we like Rangers (+1.5)
Is It the Lightning Game to Lose on the Road?
The Lightning dropped to 44-27-6 after a 7-4 loss to the Jets. Tampa Bay held a 2-0 lead early, but the Jets responded with seven of the next nine goals. The total was set at 6.5 goals, and the teams combined for 11, easily surpassing that mark. Tampa Bay, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover.
Brandon Hagel put the Lightning on the board first, scoring at 13:11 in the first period. Tampa Bay extended their lead with a power-play goal from Brayden Point at 11:58 in the first. However, the Jets tied it up by the 5:49 mark of the second period and took the lead for good with 4:03 gone in the third.
Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for the Lightning with his 7th goal of the season, while Brayden Point added his 8th on a power play in the first period. Mitchell Chaffee netted his 4th goal in the second period, and Nikita Kucherov, who scored his 10th goal, tied the game at 4-4 in the third.
The Lightning took 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. They scored twice in the first period, added a third goal in the second, and found the net for the fourth time in the third period.
After tying the game at 4-4, the Lightning gave up three straight goals, including two empty-netters, leading to a 7-4 loss. Goalie Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage, while the defense recorded 6 takeaways and 16 hits.
Will the Rangers Exceed Expectations at Home?
The Rangers improved to 36-33-7 with a 5-2 win over the Islanders. As -1.5 goal favorites, they covered the puck line, and the total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.
Four different players contributed to the Rangers’ scoring. Artemi Panarin led the way with two goals, including one in the third period to seal the victory. The Rangers took a 2-0 lead before the Islanders got on the board at 15:22 in the second period.
Artemi Panarin led the way for the Rangers with two goals in their 5-2 win over the Islanders, including his 9th of the season on an empty net. Chris Kreider opened the scoring with his 8th goal, which came shorthanded. Vincent Trocheck added his 4th goal, and Adam Edstrom found the net for the first time this season.
The Rangers fired 40 shots on goal and scored once on the power play. Mika Zibanejad contributed with three assists, bringing his season total to 8. The Rangers had 14 giveaways in the game.
Defensively, the Rangers will look to build on their previous performance, where they allowed just two goals to the Islanders. Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves with a 94.6% save percentage. The Rangers’ defense also contributed 10 takeaways, 19 hits, and 18 blocks.