Rangers-Lightningโ Under is the Smart Play on Wednesday night
NEW โคYORK – The New York Rangers’ defensive prowess and a likely low-scoring affair โฃmake the Under 6 โgoals (-115, BetMGM) the best bet โคwhen they face โthe Tampa โฃBay Lightningโข onโข Wednesdayโ night. Despite recent offensive inconsistencies, the Rangers โขboast the league’s stingiest defense,โ and a clash with Andrei Vasilevskiy typically results in โคtightly contestedโ games.
The Rangers returned to formโฃ defensively onโ Monday, blocking aโ shot and forcingโค a โคpair โฃof turnovers. โฃCurrently,โ no NHLโฃ team allows fewer expected goals against per 60 minutes than theโ Rangers, โat 2.12 according to MoneyPuck.โฃ While Igor Shesterkin, currently ranked No. 20 ofโค 73 qualifying goaltenders in MoneyPuck’s GSAx, has faced some recent challenges, heโข remains strong in high-danger situations, stopping 88โ percent ofโข such shots โ- the 13th-best rateโฃ in the league. Shesterkin โขalso has a strong track record against Tampa Bay,posting โa 7-3-1 record withโ a 2.25 GAA โขand a .924โ SV%.
Thisโข game pits Shesterkin against โคhis fellow countryman and Vezina Trophy winner, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is riding a hot streak, having won five of his โขpast six starts while allowing just โ2.00 goals and posting a.920+โฃ save percentage.
Tho, the Rangers’ offense has beenโ inconsistent, and their powerโ playโค strugglesโ on the road – converting at just a โค16 percentโข rate – won’t be easily exploited against theโค Lightning’s top penalty kill. The most reliable aspect of the rangers’ game against defensively structured teams like Tampa Bay remains theirโข defense.
THE PLAY: Under 6โฃ (-115,BetMGM)
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL,NHL,MLB and college football forโ the New York Post,focusing โคon picks that reflect market โฃvalue and mitigate risk through โขtrend tracking.
