Take the Under in Playoff Type Matchup

Lightning vs. Rangers, 7:30 ET

A win is a win and we had a pretty easy one last night. After a few games where I was going back and forth with wins and losses. Two straight nights without a loss is nice and we are going to look for a third in a row with yet another total. This time we get it in a match between two teams that should consider this somewhat of a playoff game.

Tampa Bay seems like they are always lurking around. You know, just kind of sitting there getting into a playoff spot, and then doing some real damage. It doesn't feel like they need the number one seed, for example, in order to win the Stanley Cup. As they say in poker, they need just a chip and a chair in order to compete for the trophy. As it is, they currently sit in third place of the Atlantic Division. They have really struggled away from Tampa though and have a sub-.500 record so this might not be a great opportunity for them to win tonight's game. They are on a mini roll right now though with at least four goals in all of their past three games. In addition, in that stretch they have only allowed one goal to opponents. I like the way they look right now and think this is likely to be a defensive battle. That's good news for them as their defense is playing better than they have all season over the past few games.

The Rangers rebounded from two straight losses and beat the Capitals in their last matchup. Now they are returning home and their schedule doesn't get any easier as they gear up for the playoffs. Being home clearly gives them some comfort as they are 22-12-4 on the season as a home team. They have faced the Lightning twice this season and are 1-1 against them. As you'd expect their win came in the home game. Similar to what we've seen out of Tampa lately, the Rangers are doing very well defensively right now. Over their past five games, they've allowed no more than three goals in any game. One of those games was a 3-2 loss in overtime. We know they can score, but these two teams are both defensively focused right now. On the season, the Rangers have allowed 2.66 goals per game on average.

This is a good spot for another under. Both teams are filled with talent and can light up the lamps all night long. However, right now, they are dialed in defensively. I think this game is going to be more of a playoff game and atmosphere. I'll take under six in this game.

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