Betting Guide for Game 1 of Lightning vs. Rangers in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals

Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers will begin at Madison Square Garden in New York Wednesday night.

Tampa Bay continues its march toward a Stanley Cup three-peat and New York is looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2014.

This is a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals, where the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Rangers in seven games.

Dimers.com expert Glenn Kaplan weighs in on the key factors in Game 1, while we've teamed up with BetMGM for an awesome NHL promotion.

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Game 1: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers

Eastern Conference Finals

Wednesday June 1, 2022 8PM ET

Why the favorite Lightning will cover the puck line

The Tampa Bay Lightning have won by more than 1.5 goals five times in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tampa Bay is the more experienced team in this series than New York is. The Rangers have lost two consecutive Game 1s. 

Steven Stamkos has scored four goals and has recorded four assists in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 15 points in the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Lightning and Rangers have faced off once in the playoffs before with Tampa Bay beating New York in a 7-game 2015 Eastern Conference Final.

Tonight at 8 ET, these two teams meet again in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. pic.twitter.com/R42K107FBm

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 1, 2022

Why the underdog Rangers will cover the puck line

The New York Rangers are 6-1 at home this postseason and the Lightning have not played in over a week and could potentially be rusty out of the gate in the Eastern Conference Finals. Chris Kreider has scored eight goals for them this postseason.

Adam Fox has 18 points and is a defenseman and Mike Zibanejad leads the team with 19 points this postseason and all of those players play well at home. Tampa Bay is also missing Brayden Point due to injury.

DimersBOT Prediction: Rangers to cover +1.5 goals (70% probability) 🔥

Why Lightning vs. Rangers will go Over 5.5 Total Goals

In five of the seven games that the New York Rangers have been home in these NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022, the over has reached in this category with 5.5 total goals. New York’s stars play better at home than they do on the road.

The Tampa Bay Lightning also has firepower offensively and provides scoring depth by Alex Killorn, Corey Perry, and Ondrej Palat.

DimersBOT Prediction: Over 5.5 goals (51% probability)

Why Hurricanes vs. Rangers will stay Under 5.5 Total Goals

The goalie match-up between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin is why to bet the under. These are the two best goalies in the entire NHL. Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the world right now and Shesterkin is knocking on the door.

Tampa Bay has also not been electrifying on the road offensively. The Lightning has had the under 5.5 total goals scored in their games in four of the six on the road this postseason.

The X-Factor: Ryan McDonagh, Defenseman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Ryan McDonagh knows a thing or two about the New York Rangers. He once played for that franchise and was a former captain for that hockey team. McDonagh needs to slow down this high-powered offense on the road. He will be a huge component on the penalty kill.

McDonagh will need to also step up offensively on the rush. He has scored one goal and has recorded three assists, in 11 games so far this postseason. McDonagh’s plus/minus rating is 5 so far this postseason.

During the regular season, he played in 71 games and has scored four goals, and has recorded 22 assists, with a plus/minus rating of 15. If Ryan McDonagh can slow down this high-powered lethal New York Rangers offense or can score for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1, they can be in really good shape. 

🏀 Projected Lightning vs. Rangers Game 1 box scores
✍️ Betting Preview: Lightning vs. Rangers Game 1