NHL Best Bets: Rangers Not Getting Enough Respect vs. Lightning

The Rangers are the biggest underdog of the night in the NHL, yet there's value with New York going up against an inconsistent Lightning team.

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night brings another eight-game slate of NHL action. The Sabres and Hurricanes return home from their Swedish ventures, the Avalanche and Oilers face off in a game that features three of the 10 best players in hockey and the Sharks and Ducks go toe-to-toe in a battle of the four-game streaks going in opposite directions.

There’s plenty to look forward to tonight. Let’s highlight two games and get some action on them. Here are my two best bets for Thursday. For NHL DFS players, check out Rob Geriak’s Point Shot column over on FullTime Fantasy.

New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Rangers +1.5 (-110)

Sometimes you see a line and just flat out don’t get it. That’s what happened here. The Lightning are arguably the most talented team in hockey, but they haven’t played like it on a consistent basis so far this season. Tampa Bay has been all over the world this past week. They played a pair of games against the Sabres in Sweden on Nov. 8th and 9th. They won both of those games, but lost three of their past four before that. They’ve had a few days off to recover and are back home, but Tampa being such a heavy favorite is strange.

The Rangers scored four unanswered goals in the second and third periods to beat the Lightning in Madison Square Garden two and a half weeks ago. Alexandar Georgiev was superb in net, stopping 29 of the 30 shots he faced. He’s won two of his three starts since then, and gets the nod on Thursday night. New York is 5-0-1 in its last six, including the aforementioned Tampa Bay game, and should not be the NHL’s biggest underdog on Thursday night.

I’m not saying the Rangers will necessarily win, but they should be able to keep it close. There’s some value in the Rangers’ puck line, since most +1.5 lines come at a price of -180 to -260. You get a much better number here.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres: Hurricanes (-140)

Let’s keep betting against teams returning from Sweden, shall we? The Sabres are regressing hard, which was expected after an uncharacteristically hot start. Buffalo has lost five in a row and six of its last seven games. More importantly, the Sabres simply don’t match up well with Carolina.

The Hurricanes have one of the 10 best power-play units in the league. Conversely, the Sabres rank in the bottom 10 on the penalty kill. Carolina should control possession and limit Buffalo’s opportunities. The Hurricanes are ranked fifth in the league in shots for and No. 1 in fewest shots against.

If you’re into trends, the Sabres haven’t beaten the Hurricanes since 2016, losing their last nine games against the team in red. Things are setting up for the Sabres’ losing streak to continue.

Season Record: 1-1 (-.65 units)