T.M. Selection: Tampa Bay Lightning.

I like the Tampa Bay Lightning to win this game against the New York Rangers on Friday. The Lightning are down 1-0 in this series after a 6-2 loss in the 1st game but I think they are going to bounce back here. They didn't look great in their previous game and were a bit rusty after the long layoff but I think they will be more prepared for this game after playing now and I expect them to get back in their groove here. That loss ended a 6 game run for the Lightning and I think they are going to come out with more fire in this game. The chants by the fans in MSG were getting brutal in that game and I think they just angered the Lightning, I expect them to get after the Rangers right away here. Vasilevskiy had a bad game but he has a very good record after a loss in the playoffs and I expect him to bounce back with a better performance too. The Rangers have been hot lately with 3 wins in a row but this is still a young team and I don't think they are going to be able to sustain that type of play in this series. I expect the Rangers to start breaking down in this game and I see the experience from the Lightning kicking in here to tie this up going back home. The Lightning are the B2B defending champions and they know they need a road win here to advance and flip the home advantage here. I expect them to get that win here and put the pressure on the Rangers going back to Tampa. I like the Lightning to win this game.

T.M. Prediction: 4-1 Lightning.