We have loved the action throughout this impressive NHL regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, but now we are entering the Conference Finals, with a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals up for grabs. We are sure to see the cracking playoffs continue in this round, and teams putting it all on the line to make it to the final. But before we get to the Stanley Cup Final, teams have one more hurdle to overcome – the Conference Finals.
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Look below to find our free NHL picks for the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Rangers and Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Rangers – 8pm ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest for a third straight Stanley Cup trophy continues on, and to book their place in the finals, they need to overcome the New York Rangers. The Lightning were pushed to a Game 7 in Round 1 against the Maple Leafs, but in Round 2 they shocked a lot of people when they made quick work of the Panthers, winning that series 4-0. The Rangers have had a very eventful playoffs so far, and both their opening rounds have gone to seven games. In the first round the Rangers played the Penguins and in the second round they were up against the Hurricanes.
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers are the story of the playoffs so far as they found the way to the Conference Finals after surviving two seven-game series. They are coming off a 4-3 series win over the Carolina Hurricanes winning the decisive game by 6-2, which was the only one won by the visiting team in the series. The Rangers will have the home ice advantage in the Conference Finals and are still in the race to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994. The Rangers won all three games against Tampa Bay in the regular season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are hoping to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup and they are going into the Conference Finals after nine day rest after sweeping the team with the best regular season record, the Florida Panthers. The Lightning defeated the Rangers 4-3, the last time they met in the playoffs, in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. The Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is the player who has the most wins in the NHL in the past 5 seasons and he will be the key player for the Lightning once again.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-126)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lighting are only one series win away from winning their third straight Eastern Conference Finals trophy and making their third straight Stanley Cup appearance as they look to win their third straight title. The only team left in the Eastern Conference standing their way is the surprise of the season, the New York Rangers. The Lightning will have to win some games on the road if they want to get past the Rangers, as they won’t have home ice advantage in this one.
The New York Rangers were the longshots to win the Stanley Cup trophy at the beginning of the season. However, they are right on the doorstep of making the Stanley Cup Finals and winning the Eastern Conference Finals as well. They will look to get this series off to a great start as they are playing Game 1 and 2 at home inside Madison Square Garden. As for the result of this game, I am going with the New York Rangers to open up the series with a victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+105)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
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