Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Lightning go on the road to meet the New York Rangers on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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Ahead of watching this matchup, here's our prediction for which club will take home the victory in Thursday's hockey action.
Lightning vs. Rangers Predictions for Thursday
Our computer model for this contest calls for a final tally of Lightning 4, Rangers 3.
- Moneyline Pick: Lightning (-149)
- Total Pick: Over 5.5 (computer predicts 6.1 goals on average)
- Spread Pick: Rangers (+1.5)
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Lightning Splits and Trends
- The Lightning (50-26-6 overall) had a 12-8-20 record last season in contests that needed overtime.
- In the 32 games Tampa Bay played that were decided by one goal, it had a 14-12-6 record (good for 34 points).
- In the 11 games last season the Lightning recorded just one goal, they went 3-7-1 (seven points).
- Tampa Bay took 14 points from the 21 games last season when it scored exactly two goals (5-12-4 record).
- The Lightning scored at least three goals 55 times, and went 45-7-3 in those games (to register 93 points).
- In the 30 games when Tampa Bay scored a single power-play goal, it picked up 38 points by finishing 17-9-4.
- When it outshot its opponent, Tampa Bay was 30-15-6 (66 points).
- The Lightning were outshot by their opponent 36 times, and went 21-13-2 (44 points).
Rangers Splits and Trends
- The Rangers put up a record of 9-9-18 in overtime games last season as part of an overall mark of 34-39-9.
- New York picked up 24 points (8-12-8) in its 28 games decided by one goal.
- Across the 12 games last season the Rangers finished with only one goal, they picked up three points.
- New York picked up 12 points (3-8-6 record) last season when scoring exactly two goals .
- The Rangers scored at least three goals in 43 games, earning 62 points from those contests.
- Last season New York recorded a single power-play goal in 30 games and picked up 39 points, with a record of 18-9-3.
- When outshooting its opponent last season, New York was 12-12-4 (28 points).
- The Rangers were outshot by their opponents 51 times last season, and took 45 points from those games.
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Team Stats Comparison (2025-26)
| Lightning Rank | Lightning AVG | Rangers AVG | Rangers Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | 3.49 | Goals Scored | 2.87 | 23rd |
| 3rd | 2.79 | Goals Allowed | 3.04 | 15th |
| 14th | 28.0 | Shots | 25.0 | 31st |
| 9th | 26.6 | Shots Allowed | 28.7 | 22nd |
| 17th | 20.33% | Power Play % | 24.65% | 5th |
| 3rd | 82.56% | Penalty Kill % | 79.92% | 15th |
Lightning vs. Rangers Game Time and TV Channel
- When: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN+
- Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
- Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
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