Hockey hasn't seen a postseason like this one in quite some time, and the New York Rangers (64-28-3-5) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (61-32-3-5) are each a big part of that. These two teams will fight it out in the ultimate duel on Friday night, a Game 7 with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals at stake.
BLIND AGGRESSION DOESN'T EQUAL BLIND FAITH
Live betting in the Eastern Conference Finals has been ridiculously tough due to the fact that the aggressive team hasn’t generally been the one winning games. It's really hard to want to bet against the grain when there is a clear shot disparity between two teams, and the Rangers and the Lightning have been perfect examples of just that.
Tampa Bay was outshooting the Rangers badly in Game 6, but when push came to shove, it allowed seven goals and fell out of the game quickly in the third period.
In fact, the home team has had more shots on goal in all six games in this series to date, which isn't overly surprising. What is surprising is the fact that the road team is 4-2 in those same games.
Don't think for one second that just because one of these two teams is picking up more shots on goal than the other that that's the way you need to go in live betting. About the only time when we saw that play out accordingly was in Game 6 when New York was tremendously aggressive at the start of the third period and took a 2-1 lead out to 5-1 in a hurry.
ONE GOAL BLUESHIRTS
The Rangers played 15 consecutive one-goal games in the postseason dating back to last year, but all of a sudden, they have played three straight games which have all been decided by at least two goals, and three of their last five games have been decided by at least four goals one way or the other.
It's easy to forget though, that this is a Game 7. Goals are usually really tough to come by in these games, and they generally make a big difference. Just go back and look at Game 7 for the Rangers against Washington. The Capitals were beaten 2-1 in overtime in spite of the fact that there were a combined 75 shots on goal between the two teams.
If one team opens up a bit of a lead in this one, don't be overly surprised if the deficit gets cut to that magical number of one very quickly. It would be shocking to us if this one wasn't decided by a single strike.
RESPONDING TO THE HOOK
Ben Bishop hadn't gotten pulled out of a game in these playoffs before he was hooked in Game 6 in the third period. Jon Cooper made it clear after the game that there was no controversy and Bishop was his man for Game 7, and the fact of the matter is that he probably should have been pulled off of the ice sooner.
The question here is how Bishop is going to respond. He has only played in one Game 7 in his career, and he didn't have a ton of work to do against the Red Wings in a 2-0 victory.
History will tell you that Bishop will get back in the pipes in strong form. He won a 5-2 game against Detroit after losing 4-0 at home in Game 5, and he followed a 6-2 loss at home against Montreal with a 2-1 defeat in which he played really well. Even after his consecutive five-goal performances in Games 3 and 4 of this series, he posted a shutout here at MSG in Game 5.
Keep a very close eye on Bishop's eyes. You'll know it when you see it. If he's in the zone in this one early, the Lightning are going to make for great bets as underdogs in live betting until the ice is broken.
BookMaker opened the odds for Game 7 before anyone else on the internet. The Rangers opened up at -144, while the total made its debut at 5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 7 of this series between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning will commence on Friday, May 29, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.
