Game 3 is set to get underway in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite only one game on Sunday, there are still a couple of great betting angles to attack.
Below, I give out my two best bets for Sunday’s lone game.
These plays are one unit each, or 1% of your betting bankroll. Follow me on Twitter to get all of my plays on days without full write-ups.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
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New York Rangers (+150) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-170)
The Tampa Bay Lightning hosts the New York Rangers in Game 3, trailing 2-0 in the series after dropping both games. An incredible streak was broken in that game as the Lightning had won 17 straight playoff games following a loss prior to Game 2, which was a North American professional sports record.
I bet Tampa Bay in that game and lost. Fool me once … does not matter; I am taking Tampa Bay again in Game 3.
While that streak was incredible and definitely lasted longer than It should have, It taught us something about this Tampa Bay team under coach Jon Cooper: resistance. This motto has been instilled in this group under the bench manager for quite some time, which is part of the reason for their back-to-back world championships (along with an absolutely loaded roster).
A famous saying goes that “a series does not start until a team wins on the road,” which rings true in this series. While going down 0-2 was definitely not in the game plan for Tampa Bay, this series is far from over as It turns into a best-of-three if they take care of business on home ice.
Entering this series, the Lightning were better than the Rangers in both five-on-five expected goals for (xGF) per 60 minutes and expected goals against (xGA) per 60 minutes. While New York has neutralized these disadvantages with the incredible play of goaltender Igor Shesterkin, too many people are counting out Andrei Vasilevskiy after a few sub-average performances.
In Game 3, I expect we get another Vasilevskiy masterpiece as Tampa Bay draws the series to 2-1.
Best Bet: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+155)
New York Rangers @ Tampa Bay Lightning, o/u 5.5 (+110/-130)
After hitting the under in Game 2, I am returning to the well once again. Just like in Game 2, I expect tension to be a key factor in the pace of this contest.
Tampa Bay has their backs against the wall, while New York will look to continue to back the strong play of Igor Shesterkin to propel them to a 3-0 series lead. These are the best two goaltenders in the world, and I expect more dominant performances from each of them.
While I think Tampa Bay wins this game, I believe It will be on the back of Andrei Vasilevskiy. There has been a clear-cut difference in the pace of their offense without star forward Brayden Point in the lineup, and that trend should continue in Game 3.
With the combination of a slower offense and the greatness of Vasilevskiy, the Lightning have seen the total go under 5.5 in five of their last six games (83%). The same trend rings true for New York as they ride the hot hand of Shesterkin as there have been five or fewer total goals scored in six of their last nine games (67%).
Best Bet: Rangers/Lightning u5.5 (-130)
Best of luck!
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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.