The NHL Stanley Cup 2022 is entering its final stages, and we have got a huge game 5 waiting on us tonight between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers.
With the series tied up at 2-2 currently and a place in the Stanley Cup finals up for grabs against the Colorado Avalanche, both teams will be keen to take the advantage ahead of the imminent Game 6 over the weekend.
We’ll take a look ahead to the game between these two great NHL sides and see if we can come up with the best betting tips for you to earn some extra cash ahead of the game.
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Game 5 information
- Thursday, June 9, 2022
- Madison Square Garden, New York
- Live on ESPN
- 20:00 ET
How has the NHL series gone so far?
It's been a hugely exciting series so far, with the Rangers taking Game 1 in dominant fashion via a 6-2 scoreline at Madison Square Garden.
Goals from Filip Chytil (2), Artemi Panarin, Frank Vatrano, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider were more than enough for a big victory, as the second and third periods were complete blowouts. Steven Samkos and Ondrej Palat grabbed goals for Tampa, but ultimately they were just consolations.
In Game 2 it was closer, but once again, the home advantage paid dividends as New York took a 2-0 series lead with a 3-2 win on the night.
Kaapo Kakko, K'Andre Miller, and Mika Zibanejad were the goalscorers for the hosts, and it stopped Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul's goals from meaning anything in the grand scheme of things.
Game 3 saw a big swing in momentum, though as the series headed to Tampa and the Amalie Arena and claimed a huge 3-2 win to keep their hopes alive.
Kucherov, Stamkos, and Palat all grabbed one goal each after a super intense first two periods had them down 2-1, but in the end, the Rangers couldn't hold on and fell to their first defeat of the series.
Game 4 then came around, and the Lightning were able show why they were the favorites at the start of the series to reach the finals with a strong 4-1 victory.
Patrick Maroon got his first goal of the series, as well as Samkos, Kucherov and Palat getting on the scoresheet themselves to give the Rangers a big surprise in Game 4 and to make Thursday's game an absolute belter.
Tampa Bay NHL stats and trends
When the Bay are favorites, they perform. The Lightning have a 53-28 record when coming into a game as the pre-game favorite and when going in with odds of -129 or shorter, they are 46-20.
Lightning have scored 285 goals so far this season, for an average of 3.5 goals per game. That ranks them as the seventh-best scoring team in the entire NHL so far this season.
Defensively they've been solid too, giving up just 228 total goals for an average of 2.8 goals per game, which ranks them as the sixth-best defensive team in the NHL this season.
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New York NHL stats and trends
The Rangers have been excellent at home this season, and they've been solid underdogs too. On 47 occasions entering games as the betting underdog, the Rangers have come out victorious on 23 occasions and when their odds are +108 or longer, they have a record of 12-20.
They have managed to score 250 goals across all games so far this season, for an average of 3 goals per game, which ranks them as the 15th best offense in the NHL.
Defensively they're without a doubt the stronger of the two teams though conceding just 205 goals all season, for an average of only 2.5 goals per game, which ranks them as the second-best defensive unit in the NHL.
Prediction
The Lightning have found form once again in the last two games, but the home advantage has been key in the series so far and it seems likely that it will again.
New York found a way to keep the games tight where they needed to and knew how to score when building momentum. They struggled to build that momentum while they were on the road, but with the crowd behind them and home ice in their favor they will surely not let that happen again.
With a game 6 guaranteed at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, New York simply cannot afford to lose this game and their fans will know that too.
Expect a big performance in front of their home crowd and back the underdog to claim the victory and earn you some cash.
Check out our the best way to bet on the Eastern Conference here.
