Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT
Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
TV/Streaming: MSG (Rangers), The Spot (Lightning regional), TVAS2 (select markets), ESPN+ (national streaming)
This late-regular-season contest features a struggling Rangers squad looking to snap a three-game losing skid against a surging Lightning team locked into playoff positioning and jockeying for Atlantic Division seeding. Tampa Bay has already clinched a postseason berth and enters the finale with momentum, while New York is playing out the string in 8th place in the Metropolitan Division.
Injury Report
New York Rangers (thin blue line and forward depth):
Matt Rempe (C): OUT for season (thumb)
Urho Vaakanainen (D): OUT (upper body)
New York is down key depth pieces on the back end and in the bottom six, forcing greater reliance on veterans and call-ups in what has been a disappointing campaign.
Tampa Bay Lightning (goaltending and defensive depth in flux):
Brandon Hagel (LW): Day-to-Day (lower body) — game-time decision
Darren Raddysh (D): Day-to-Day (undisclosed)
Jonas Johansson (G): Day-to-Day (undisclosed)
Victor Hedman (D): OUT (personal)
Pontus Holmberg (RW): OUT (upper body)
Max Crozier (D): OUT (abdomen)
Dominic James (C): OUT (leg)
Tampa will likely turn to Andrei Vasilevskiy in net (assuming Johansson is unavailable) and lean on its veteran core up front, with Hagel’s status a major storyline heading into puck drop.
Recent Team Forms
New York Rangers: 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. They enter on a three-game losing streak, including a 0-2 road loss to Dallas (Apr 11), a 3-5 home loss to Buffalo (Apr 8), and recent results that have seen them average 3.5 goals scored while allowing just 2.0 per game in the sample. Offense has been inconsistent, and the road woes (19-19-2 away) continue to plague them.
Tampa Bay Lightning: 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. Fresh off back-to-back wins — a 4-3 OT victory over Detroit (Apr 13) and a 2-1 road win at Boston (Apr 11) — Tampa is averaging 2.8 goals scored and 2.4 allowed in the stretch. They are 26-13-1 at home and have been excellent when opponents take more penalties.
Series History
The teams are meeting for the third time in the 2025-26 regular season. Tampa Bay won the most recent matchup 4-1 (with Brandon Hagel scoring twice). Overall in 2025-26, the Lightning lead the season series 2-0 (exact prior split before the last game was 1-1). All-time, the series is nearly even, with Tampa holding a slight historical edge (approximately 54-51-5-7). Lightning are strong at home against New York in recent seasons.
Player Matchups to Watch
Lightning’s Top Line (Nikita Kucherov – Brayden Point – Jake Guentzel) vs. Rangers’ Defense: Kucherov remains a perennial Hart candidate and scoring machine; New York’s depleted blueline (without Vaakanainen and with Hedman already out for Tampa’s side) will be tested by Tampa’s speed and skill.
Rangers’ Key Forwards (e.g., Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin if healthy/available) vs. Lightning’s Back End: Rangers need secondary scoring to keep pace, but Tampa’s home defensive structure and potential Vasilevskiy start make it a tall order.
Goaltending: Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning) has been stellar in big moments; Rangers will counter with Igor Shesterkin (or backup), who has kept games close despite the team’s record. Hagel’s potential return adds another layer to Tampa’s offensive threats.
Betting Trends
Lightning are heavy home favorites (around -185 to -284 across books), with Rangers as +138 to +155 underdogs.
Total is set around 6.5 goals (OVER +105 / UNDER -125 in early lines).
Lightning are 3-2 in their last 5 overall; Rangers are 3-14 in their last 17 after scoring 2 or fewer in the prior game.
OVER has hit in 3 of Lightning’s last 5; Rangers are 5-0 to the OVER in their last 5 Wednesday games.
Tampa is strong as a home favorite of -200 or greater; New York has struggled as a road underdog.
Game Odds
New York Rangers 5.5
Tampa Bay Lightning – 135
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 14, 2026
