Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers: Game 7 Odds Preview, Betting Stats

The New York Rangers are -150 moneyline favorites for Friday night as they play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deciding Game 7 of the NHL's Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden.

What started out as a low-scoring series has evolved into a high-scoring battle, with the Rangers seeing their 15-game streak of consecutive one-goal games in the postseason ending in Game 2 with a 6-2 home loss to the Lightning.

The over has now cashed on the NHL betting totals in four of the past five games of the Lightning vs. Rangers betting matchup following a 2-1 win for New York in Game 1.

The winner scored at least five goals in Games 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the series, with Tampa Bay needing just a pair in a 2-0 win at New York in Game 5. Four of the last five games in the Eastern Conference Final have been decided by at least two goals, including a surprising 7-3 road victory by the Rangers in Game 6 on Tuesday.

The seven goals by New York in that contest were the team’s most in a game since a 7-2 home win against the Anaheim Ducks back on March 22.

The Eastern Conference champion will play the winner of Saturday’s Game 7 of the Western Conference Final between the Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, which is expected to hit the ice Wednesday, June 3.

Goaltending has been shaky for both the Rangers and the Lightning of late, which is an intriguing storyline for Game 7. New York’s Henrik Lundqvist has surrendered nearly 3.2 goals per game in the series after giving up an average of 1.71 in seven games against the Washington Capitals in the previous round.

However, Lundqvist has been at his best in Game 7s, allowing five goals total in winning six straight since suffering his lone Game 7 defeat to Washington in 2009.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop will be appearing in the second Game 7 of his career, winning his first in the opening round against the Detroit Red Wings.

Bishop stopped all 31 Detroit shots he faced in that 2-0 victory to eliminate the Red Wings on April 29, and he has also played his best at Madison Square Garden in this series. Bishop blanked the Rangers 2-0 in Game 5 with 26 saves, and stopped 63 of 67 shots in the first two games there as the Lightning earned a split.