PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's Stanley Cup Total of the Week
(NHL) Tampa Bay vs. NY Rangers,
Total: 5.50 | -111.00 Under
Result: Loss
Total: 5.50 | -111.00 Under
Result: Loss
If you're expecting this Game 1 Eastern Conference Final to be similar to Colorado's 8-6 victory against Edmonton in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final Tuesday then we have totally opposite viewpoints.
Because I see a defensive matchup pitting the two best goalies in hockey, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. Both goalies are hot, too.
Tampa Bay, behind Vasilevskiy, has surrendered just four goals in its last five games. That was a four-game sweep of the Panthers, the highest-scoring team in the NHL, and the final game of the series against the Maple Leafs, the second-highest scoring team in the NHL.
Backed by Shesterkin, the likely Vezina Trophy winner as the league's best goalie, the Rangers have not allowed more than two goals per game in six of their last seven games. The Rangers face a Lightning squad that should be extremely rusty, too, since it has been nine days since Tampa Bay last was in action.
Because I see a defensive matchup pitting the two best goalies in hockey, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin. Both goalies are hot, too.
Tampa Bay, behind Vasilevskiy, has surrendered just four goals in its last five games. That was a four-game sweep of the Panthers, the highest-scoring team in the NHL, and the final game of the series against the Maple Leafs, the second-highest scoring team in the NHL.
Backed by Shesterkin, the likely Vezina Trophy winner as the league's best goalie, the Rangers have not allowed more than two goals per game in six of their last seven games. The Rangers face a Lightning squad that should be extremely rusty, too, since it has been nine days since Tampa Bay last was in action.
