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 fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Rangers and Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Rangers – 8.00pm ET
The home team has been dominating the series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. Currently the series is all tied up at 2-2, and with the Rangers playing on home ice, will they be able to get the win tonight?
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers are returning home with a 2-2 tie in the Eastern Conference Finals and things could have looked much better for them. They had a 2-0 lead in Game 3 which could have taken them one small step towards the Stanley Cup Finals but from that moment on, the Tampa Bay Lightning took over control and now we have a tied up series. The Lightning are still in play to win their third straight Stanley Cup and with the momentum on their side, they will win their third consecutive game of the series tonight and get back home for the final punch.
The New York Rangers have won 5 of the last 6 games as home underdog, 9 of the last 12 games following a loss of three or more goals and 44 of the last 64 home games. The Lightning have won 6 of the last 7 games following a win, 150 of the last 209 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game and 36 of the last 51 games after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-130)
Tony Battalio
This has been a fantastic series thus far as it’s tied at two games a piece heading into Game 5 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Lightning have won two games in a row and now will be looking for another victory here in Game 5. They have looked much better in the last two games than they did in the first two games and they come into this one with all the momentum.
The New York Rangers magical season looks like it may come to an end soon. They will need to get back on track and win Game 5 of this series. The Rangers will have to play much better after they have absolutely collapsed in Game 3 and 4 of the series. As for the result of this game, I am going with the New York Rangers to pick up the win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+108)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Lightning got a huge win at home in Game 4 to tie the series up at 2-2 and now will look to buck the trend of home teams winning when they travel to New York for Game 5. A win on the road on Thursday would put the Bolts within one game of clinching their 3rd consecutive Eastern Conference Championship. Game 4 was the first time all series that Andrei Vasilevskiy outplayed Igor Shesterkin in net and if he continues to put together solid performances, it’s going to be a nightmare for the Rangers.
I believe the Lightning are right where they want to be in this series that is now basically a best of 3 to determine who is going to the Stanley Cup Final. I believe their experience will be vital in these crucial moments and if a team will steal a game on the road in this series it will be the defending champions. That’s exactly what I see happening on Thursday, setting them up for a close-out game at home in Game 6.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-130)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
