[7:08 PM] Lightning @ Rangers

Who will WIN this matchup?

Tampa Bay Lightning (5-3-0)

@ New York Rangers (5-3-0)

 

Starting Goalies:

Ben Bishop (TB): Confirmed

Antti Raanta(NYR): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Tampa Bay Lightning: (+120)

New York Rangers: (-140)

 

• The New York Rangers have been a better team on home ice in the early going and look to continue that trend when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. The Rangers have won four of five games at Madison Square Garden and outshot their opponent 33-18 in the only loss, but come in off a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Carolina on Friday.

• Tampa Bay’s power play has been feast or famine this season, recording seven goals in three of its games while going 0-for-16 in the others — scoreless in seven tries the last two. Tyler Johnson notched his second goal in Saturday’s loss and rookie Brayden Point registered his fourth assist while captain Steven Stamkos (five goals) was kept off the scoresheet for the second straight game despite six shots. Ben Bishop is expected back in net after the Lightning struggled in front of Andrei Vasilevskiy on Saturday.

• Captain Ryan McDonagh is off to a solid start with a plus-4 rating and the 27-year-old defenseman has built a six-game assist streak with seven total helpers in that span. Newcomer Mika Zibanejad leads the team with eight points — one better than Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider, who is expected to miss his fourth straight game due to neck spasms. Two more first-year Rangers have made impressions in the early going as rookie Jimmy Vesey and former Florida Panther Brandon Pirri each boast four goals.

• The Rangers, who are 5-for-13 on the power play in their last four contests, took two of three games from the Lightning last season.

• Tampa Bay LW Alex Killorn saw his three-game goal streak come to an end Saturday, but leads the team with six.

• New York RW Rick Nash is within four goals of 400 in his career, and has tallied three times in 2016-17.

StreakSmarts Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning

Confidence: 5/10

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