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 second game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Rangers and Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Rangers – 8pm ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning remain in New York for Game 2 against the Rangers. It was the Rangers that pulled away for the victory in Game 1, winning 6-2. The Lightning will be looking to level the series before returning to play in front of their home crowd, and will be looking for a bounce back performance tonight.
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers have continued their amazing playoff run with a win in the Eastern Conference Finals opener. They scored 6 goals in back-to-back games including the decisive Game 7 of the previous series against the Carolina Hurricanes and if there were people who doubted them, now the Rangers look like serious Stanley Cup contenders. The Tampa Bay Lightning were dominated in the second part of the Game 1 and they will play in a state of emergency tonight at the MSG. The defending champions definitely have the quality to win this series and will prove that tonight tying the series score at 1-1.
The Rangers have won the last 4 games after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game, 4 of the last 5 games when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game and 27 of the last 37 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. The Tampa Bay Lightning have won 5 of the last 7 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game, 43 of the last 62 games when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game and 6 of their last 7 games overall.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-137)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lightning weren’t very competitive in Game 1 of this series as they were defeated by multiple goals. Now they will be looking to bounce back here in Game 2 to pull the series even at 1-1 with the New York Rangers. They will have to play better on the defensive end after allowing six goals in Game 1. A lot of people, including myself, counted them out when the playoffs began and now they are only one series win away from winning their third straight Eastern Conference Championship, but first they will have to get the win in Game 2.
The New York Rangers have arguably been the surprise team of the 2021-22 National Hockey League season and now they are three wins away from playing for a Stanley Cup Trophy. They have looked good throughout the postseason, as they have won two game sevens to get here. If they continue to play like they did in Game 1 however, this series isn’t going to make it to seven games. As for the result of Game 2, I am going with the New York Rangers to get another victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+114)
Jeffery Thomas
The New York Rangers shocked everyone in Game 1 and kept their domination going on home ice, putting six goals past Andrei Vasilevskiy to get out in front in the series. It appeared the long layoff ahead of this series caught up with the Lightning who were just a step slow and couldn’t keep up with this very confident Rangers team. There’s no reason to panic though, and for Tampa their goal in these first two games was just to steal one of these two road games.
There’s good reason to think they will as the Bolts and Vasilevskiy have been lights out the past three postseasons following a loss. The record is 17-0 following a loss in the playoffs with nearly 4 goals scored and under 2 goals allowed. These guys are the two-time defending champs for a reason and they know how to respond to adversity, which is exactly what we should expect Friday night.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-137)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
