Our prop-pick heater took a bit of a dip in Game 5, though only four goals in a game will do that.
The Lightning are staring at a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup final, which hasn’t been done in 38 years. The Rangers are trying to keep their Cup dreams alive by improving to 6-0 while facing elimination.
Here’s a look at the best prop options for Game 6.
Our prop picks for the Eastern Conference final have been red-hot, so let’s keep you all profiting for the pivotal Game 6 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers in Tampa on Saturday.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Friday, June 10, at 11 a.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 6 Props
Race to 3 Goals: Lightning (-108)
Wager: 1 Unit
For as low-scoring as this series has been, the winning team has gotten to three in each of the first five games — though Tampa Bay only got there thanks to Brandon Hagel’s empty-net goal in Game 5.
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Although a 2-0 or 2-1 final score is well within the cards, we’d expect the winning team to get to 3, especially if it’s the Lightning since Rangers Coach Gerard Gallant is likely to be aggressive pulling Igor Shesterkin if his team is trailing in the third period.
If you agree the Lightning will close out the series in Game 6, this is a prop worth betting.
Both Teams To Score: No (+450)
Wager: 0.5 Units
If you read our Rangers vs Lightning Game 6 predictions, you know that Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy dominates in closeout games. He has four straight shutouts in home clinching games, including an epic 49-save win in the second round against the Florida Panthers, and has clinched six of the past seven series with a clean sheet.
New York is having a really hard time scoring 5-on-5. The Rangers have just two even-strength goals over the past 11 periods and are wearing down after two seven-game series and the first five games against the two-time defending champions.
Throwing a sprinkle on either Vasilevskiy or Shesterkin, who the Rangers will need to stand on his head in order to force a Game 7, to have a shutout in Game 6 is sure worth it given the extremely favorable odds.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 6 Player Props
Ondrej Palat Over 0.5 Points (-125)
Wager: 1 Unit
Palat is the Lightning’s unsung hero. Yet every time Tampa Bay needs a major play, their top-line left wing seems to deliver. He scored the game-winning goal late in Game 3 then did the same late in Game 5, pushing the Lightning within a win of another Cup final berth.
- Tail our best Rangers vs Lightning Game 6 Parlays
Palat has scored a goal in five of Tampa Bay’s past six games and has nine points in its past eight. If you think he’ll make it four straight games with a goal, take him as an anytime scorer at +240.
Alex Killorn Anytime Goalscorer (+320)
Wager: 1 Unit
Hagel and Palat each have empty-net goals in the series, but Lightning Coach Jon Cooper trusts Killorn to kill games late with the lead. Plus, Killorn, who had 25 goals during the regular season but doesn’t have any to this point in the playoffs, is uber-due.
It would be fitting if one of their core members chipped in the series-sealing empty-netter, or even the game-winner, to send the Lightning back to the Cup final.
PREVIOUSLY: Rangers vs Lightning Game 5 Props
Our prop picks for the Eastern Conference final have been red-hot, so let’s keep you all profiting for the pivotal Game 5 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers at MSG on Thursday.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Wednesday, June 8, at 11 a.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 5 Props
Rangers: Under 2.5 Goals (-115)
Wager: 1 Unit
The Rangers averaged 1.5 goals per game in Tampa as the Lightning put the clamps on New York’s 5-on-5 offense.
Each of New York’s three goals came on the power play, including Artemi Panarin‘s man-up goal in the third period of Game 4.
New York’s offense has been great at home, averaging 4.2 goals per game in nine contests at MSG, but goals are about to become much harder to come by as this series gets deeper. The Rangers don’t have an even-strength goal since Game 2 and could be without centers Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil due to injury, thus further damaging their offensive prospects.
The thing is: the Rangers could very well win with two goals. Goalie Igor Shesterkin has a .948 save percentage in home games in these playoffs, and a 2-1 New York victory seems the likeliest win for the Blueshirts.
If the Rangers lose, they’re almost certain to fall short of three goals. New York hasn’t scored three-plus and lost since Game 3 of its first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Will There Be Overtime: Yes (+300)
There hasn’t been a game decided in OT yet in this series, but extra time typically comes later in series, when the teams are more familiar, more cautious, and the games get more intense. The feeling-out process is over. The game relies on mistakes and execution.
The Lightning have played just one overtime game, Game 6 of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. New York has played three extra-time contests, but none since Game 1 of its second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both teams are due.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 5 Player Props
Steven Stamkos Anytime Goalscorer (+170)
Wager: 1 Unit
Stamkos is officially smoldering, with three goals in this series, including his insurance goal that made it 3-0 on Wednesday.
Unlikely heroes sometimes emerge in low-scoring, high-stakes games, but when in doubt, put your money on the star player who is hot.
Artemi Panarin Over 0.5 Assists (+100)
Wager: 1 Unit
Panarin has four assists in the Rangers’ past five games and has one in every other game in this series.
He scored but did not have a helper in Game 4, which means he’s likely to pick up a helper on a Rangers goal in Game 5.
PREVIOUSLY: Rangers vs Lightning Game 4 Props
Our Eastern Conference final prop bet picks have been on fire after a perfect 4-for-4 in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game 3 in Tampa.
Ondrej Palat struck for the game-winning goal with just 41.6 remaining in regulation, thus making our 60-minute pick correct. Nikita Kucherov and Mika Zibanejad each scored, cashing in on our player props, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28-of-30 shots, holding the Rangers to Under 2.5 goals.
The series will pivot either in the Rangers’ favor or back to even in Game 4. Here’s a look at what props are worth looking at.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Monday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 4 Props
Lightning: Over 3.5 Goals (+140)
Wager: 1 Unit
If you read our Rangers vs Lightning Game 4 prediction, you know we think Tampa Bay will take control from the outset and even the series with a comfortable win.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since Game 4 of New York’s first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a span of 13 games.
But Shesterkin’s worst games in the playoffs have come on the road, one of the reasons New York is just 2-6 away from Madison Square Garden during the postseason. He has a .904 save percentage in eight road starts, a far cry from his .948 mark at home.
All of that is to say Tampa Bay should be able to get to four in Game 4. The Lightning have scored at least four goals in five of their nine playoff wins this year, aided by empty-netters in two of them.
Correct Score: Lightning 4-1 (+1400)
Wager: 0.5 Units
We generally don’t advocate putting huge bucks on final-score props, but if you successfully tailed our 3-2 Lightning pick for Game 3, you’d have nailed a +1500 bet and made 15x your wager.
We like the Lightning to take care of business handily in Game 4. A 3-1 win (+1500) is also highly plausible. We tend to think Tampa Bay also hits an empty net.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 4 Player Props
Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (+140)
Wager: 1 Unit
Kucherov is officially red-hot after he put the Lightning on his back in Game 3.
If you, like I, believe Tampa Bay will get to four goals, then Kucherov will almost certainly be in the middle of at least two.
Ross Colton Anytime Goalscorer (+325)
Wager: 1 Unit
Tampa Bay’s secondary scoring has evaporated in the conference final. The Lightning have just one goal, Nick Paul‘s late in the third period of Game 2, by a player other than stars Kucherov, Palat, and Steven Stamkos.
If the Lightning are going to win handily in Game 4, they’ll need a goal from someone else. The most likely candidates are Corey Perry (+285), the ultra-due Alex Killorn (+325), or Colton, who had five goals in Tampa Bay’s first nine playoff games but hasn’t posted a point in its past four games.
Call it a hunch, but we think Colton gets off the schneid and on the scoresheet in Game 4.
PREVIOUSLY: Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 Props
The New York Rangers are closing in on the Stanley Cup final after sweeping the first two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden in the Eastern Conference final.
We’ll see if the Lightning, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, can conjure up some of their championship mettle with the series shifting back to Tampa for the all-important Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s a look at some prop bets to consider for Game 3.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Saturday, June 4, at 1 p.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 Props
60 Minutes Result and Both Teams To Score: Lightning and Yes (+111)
WAGER: 1 Unit
If you’re feeling daring, take this prop with both teams to score at least two goals at +250, but if you’re going to take the Under, as I plan to, maybe go easy and just take Tampa Bay to win in full time and for both teams to score.
Rangers: Under 2.5 Goals (-130)
Wager: 1 Unit
We think this is a 3-2 game in favor of Tampa Bay. Despite their 6-2 win in Game 7 in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes, which was boosted by a goalie injury and an empty-netter, New York is averaging just 2.7 goals per game in road games during the postseason.
Obviously, you can’t score 0.7 goals in a game, and Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy still hasn’t had even a good game in this series yet, which means expect only 1 or 2 from the Rangers in Game 3.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 3 Player Props
Nikita Kucherov Anytime Goalscorer (+155)
Wager: 1 Unit
Kucherov is officially hot after snapping a two-game scoreless drought with a two-point performance in Game 2.
If you think he and his linemates Ondrej Palat and Anthony Cirelli will start wreaking havoc on the series, take this, Kucherov Over 1.5 points (+150) and Palat Over 0.5 points (-110) in Game 3.
Mika Zibanejad Anytime Goalscorer (+205)
We are loath to suggest losing-team props in a game where we’ll be betting the Under, but Zibanejad is owning the Lightning this season, with six goals in five games, including one apiece in each of the first two games in this series.
The Rangers probably won’t get shut out in Game 3, which means someone will have to score. Bet on Zibanejad, and you’ll be able to more than double your money if he finds the back of the net.
PREVIOUSLY: Rangers vs Lightning Game 2 Props
The New York Rangers took advantage in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, and if you tailed our picks, you cashed in as well.
But the Tampa Bay Lightning are 15-0 following a playoff loss dating back to 2019 and should be able to even the best-of-7 series before heading back to Florida.
Here is a look at prop bets to consider for Game 2, which is Friday at Madison Square Garden.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Thursday June 2, at 10 a.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 2 Props
Race to 3 Goals: Lightning (+118)
WAGER: 1 Unit
The Rangers offense is rolling with 17 goals in their past three wins. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy struggled in Game 1, but should have a bounce-back performance in Game 2.
New York has not allowed more than three goals in any of its last 11 games, but they have surrendered exactly three goals in four games during that span. Friday should be a 2-1 or 3-2 game. Tampa Bay’s odds to win the race to 2 is (-120), and we think Tampa Bay will win and get to 3.
Rangers: Under 2.5 Goals (+100)
Wager: 1 Unit
New York has scored just 11 goals in its six losses this postseason, which means it is not likely to lose a high-scoring game — particularly with goalie Igor Shesterkin playing the way he is right now.
Even-money odds makes this prop is a great value option.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 2 Player Props
Nikita Kucherov Anytime Goalscorer (+180)
Wager: 1 Unit
Kucherov has been held off the scoresheet in two straight games but had seven shots in Game 1, which means he’s due to find the back of the net.
Plus, he has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in three games following Tampa Bay losses this postseason. Expect Kucherov to have a big night in Game 2.
Victor Hedman Over 0.5 Assists (+105)
Hedman, like Kucherov, has been held off the scoresheet in each of the past two games, and Tampa Bay’s power play is quietly 0-for-11 dating back to Game 2 of its second round series, including an 0-for-3 outing on Wednesday.
Expect the Lightning power play to strike once in Game 2, and if you’re feeling daring, take the Hedman Over 0.5 power-play points at (+140).
PREVIOUSLY: Rangers vs Lightning Game 1 Props
The New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning series should be highly entertaining, albeit low-scoring.
There still should be prop bets to cash in on. Here’s a look at the best prop bets for Game 1.
All NHL playoff odds are current as of Tuesday, May 31, at 1 p.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 1 Props
Race to 3 Goals: Rangers (+145)
WAGER: 1 Unit
If you read my Game 1 prediction, you know I like the Rangers to pull off a minor upset and defend home ice.
If you think the game could end 2-1, which is certainly not out of the question, take the Rangers to win the Race to 2 at (+102).
Goal in Each Period: No (+140)
WAGER: 1 Unit
This should be a low-scoring series, and there should definitely be a feeling-out period as the teams get accustomed.
A scoreless first period would activate this prop.
Rangers vs Lightning Game 1 Player Props
Mika Zibanejad Anytime Goalscorer (+215)
Wager: 1 Unit
Zibanejad has been on an offensive tear of late, with goals in four of New York’s past five games.
Plus, he lit up the Lightning during the regular season, with four goals in three games against Tampa Bay, including a hat trick on January 2.
Steven Stamkos Over 3.5 Shots (+130)
Wager: 1 Unit
The Rangers allow a ton of shots. Igor Shesterkin has faced 75 more shots than any other goalie during the playoffs, a feat made more remarkable by the fact he was pulled twice during New York’s first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Plus, Stamkos fires from everywhere. He’s surpassed three shots on net in two of Tampa Bay’s past four games and three of its past seven. This prop should be good.
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