Lightning vs. Rangers picks, odds: Expert predictions for Game 2 of NHL Eastern Conference final

Check out the latest odds and expert picks for Game 5 of Lightning vs. Rangers.

Did the New York Rangers solve Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1? It sure seemed like it in a resounding 6-2 win. But then again, it is just one game. The Lightning still hasn’t lost back-to-back playoff games since being swept out of the playoffs in 2018. And Tampa Bay is still favored on the moneyline in Friday’s game and all of The Athletic’s experts think the Lightning will bounce back at Madison Square Garden.

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The Rangers showed a lot in that Game 1 performance. And they proved that they won’t go away quietly. These Rangers have been underdogs since the playoffs started against the Penguins and Hurricanes and won both of those series.

The result of Game 1 made this Eastern Conference final a whole lot more interesting.

What time is Rangers vs. Lightning Game 2?

8 p.m. ET on Friday

Where to watch and stream Lightning vs. Rangers?

Channels: ESPN, CBC, SN

Streaming: ESPN+, SN Now

Eastern Conference finals schedule

Game 1: Rangers 6, Lightning 2 | Rangers lead series 1-0

Game 2: Lightning at Rangers | Friday, June 3 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 3: Rangers at Lightning | Sunday, June 5 | 3 p.m. ET

Game 4: Rangers at Lightning | Tuesday, June 7 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 5*: Lightning at Rangers | Thursday, June 9 | 8 p.m. ET

Game 6*: Rangers at Lightning | Saturday, June 11 | TBD

Game 7*: Lightning at Rangers | Tuesday, June 14 | 8 p.m. ET

Every day during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their picks, straight up. We put our picks, the TV schedule and all series coverage, plus the latest odds, all in one place for fans to easily digest and follow. Our in-depth NHL coverage is linked below the picks. For live NHL odds from BetMGM, click here.

What are the odds for Lightning at Rangers Game 2?

Series odds: Rangers -125, Lightning +105

Lightning vs. Rangers Game 2 preview

Game 1: Rangers 6, Lightning 2 | New York leads 1-0

Recap by Sean Gentille

Who was the guy? More often than not in this nightly exercise of ours, the pick here is simple. That wasn’t the case in Game 1 — you could’ve rolled an eight-sided die to figure out which Ranger walked away with it and been correct, no matter what. We’ve seen better games from Igor Shesterkin in the playoffs, and the rest of the lineup did more than enough to take the game out of “Steal one, Igor” territory — more on that shortly — but this series was supposed to, and will, revolve around the matchup between Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Game 1 went to Shesterkin. It wasn’t close. He stopped 37 of 39 shots, saved 2.04 more goals than expected and won his seventh straight start at Madison Square Garden. The last goalie with that many consecutive home wins was Corey Crawford with the Blackhawks in 2014. So that combo — an outstanding game and an early leg up in the narrative battle — makes Shesterkin The Guy.

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What was the key? The Rangers’ ability to draw out the Round 1 (Games 1-6) version of Vasilevskiy. Lost a bit in the Goalie Showdown (and it’s understandable, given how great he was against Florida) was the simple fact that Vasilevskiy, for a solid chunk of games there against Toronto, looked decidedly human. Through the first six games of the series, he was at an .885 save percentage and hadn’t allowed fewer than three goals. That all came after a .916 regular season. The forcefield is a little more penetrable than some of us may have assumed. I’m not dumb enough to bet against Vasilevskiy at this time of year. I’m also not dumb enough to make any assumptions about goaltenders, let alone when they’re facing a streaky-but-talented offensive team like the Rangers. They’re good, they’re getting better and they can beat him. They did Wednesday, at least.

Key stat: There are a lot of funny Vasilevskiy-related bits floating around — it took him 35:43 to allow more goals in this series than he did in four games against the Panthers, for example — but I’m going with this one: The Rangers hung six on him, which they couldn’t do in five full first-round games against Penguins third-stringer Louis Domingue. They made the best goalie on earth look like an AHL guy, in other words. Not bad.

Lightning vs. Rangers expert picks and predictions for Game 2

More Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage: News | Podcasts | Odds

(Photo of Andrei Vasilevskiy: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

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