Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning: game preview

NY RangersRangers2026-27: 4-1-0 · 8 pts · 2025-26: 34-39-9 · 77 pts · 30that

Tampa BayLightning2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-26-6 · 106 pts · 5th

Puck drop27 Mar · 7:00 PM ET

VenueBenchmark International Arena

All-time meetings136 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-nine points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. Tampa Bay finished 5th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went NYR 2-1-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 137

Across 136 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 69-54-12.

All-time record69-54-12NY Rangers's record in the series

Meetings played136This is number 137

2025-26 seriesNYR 2-1-0

Last 54-1NY Rangers

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

1 OctTBL 1 – NYR 525–25TBL 0/7 · NYR 1/2NYR

15 Apr 2026NYR 4 – TBL 221–31NYR 1/3 · TBL 0/3NYR

29 Nov 2025TBL 4 – NYR 135–13TBL 0/2 · NYR 0/2TBL

12 Nov 2025NYR 7 – TBL 321–36NYR 1/3 · TBL 0/3NYR

17 Apr 2025TBL 0 – NYR 427–22TBL 0/3 · NYR 0/1NYR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateNY RangersTampa Bay

12 Nov 20259-7-2 · 20 pts14th8-6-2 · 18 pts22nd

29 Nov 202513-12-2 · 28 pts19th16-7-2 · 34 pts3rd

15 Apr 202634-39-9 · 77 pts29th50-26-6 · 106 pts5th

1 Oct1-1-0 · 2 pts14th0-1-0 · 0 pts30th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 12 Nov 2025, NY Rangers were 14th in the league and Tampa Bay 22nd. By 1 Oct it was 14th and 30th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Tampa Bay out-attempted NY Rangers 328 to 247

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

247 att · 102 on goal · 21 G · 20.6%

Crease22 att · 3 G

Slot86 att · 9 G

Wing99 att · 6 G

Point28 att · 2 G

Neutral zone12 att · 1 G

Tampa Bay Lightning

328 att · 154 on goal · 10 G · 6.5%

Crease38 att · 3 G

Slot127 att · 3 G

Wing94 att · 4 G

Point65 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers and Tampa Bay are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersTampa Bay

3.44xG for per game4.04

2.77xG against per game2.64

55.4%xG share60.5%

−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.1

+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.9

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 3 for Tampa Bay. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2721.4%

Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th

Power play · last 5 meetings3/11 · 27.3%

Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289

Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)

Drawn · last meetings11 (2.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Tampa Bay

Small sample

Power play · 2026-270.0%

Power play · 2025-2620.7% · 17th

Power play · last 5 meetings0/18 · 0.0%

Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2682.6% · 3rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2748.2% · 81/168

Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings18 (3.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Mika Zibanejad has 9 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

13Alexis Lafrenière53251.00

93Mika Zibanejad51451.00

94Gabe Perreault52240.80

86Nikita Kucherov31341.33

59Jake Guentzel31231.00

38Brandon Hagel31231.00

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

23Adam Fox50551.00

44Vladislav Gavrikov51340.80

5Sean Durzi51120.40

74John Carlson30220.67

51Charle-Edouard D'Astous31010.33

27Ryan McDonagh30000.00

Defencemen stats

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

93Mika Zibanejad545912

10J.T. Miller52356

23Adam Fox50554

50Will Cuylle522411

86Nikita Kucherov513410

10Artemi Panarin30445

16Vincent Trocheck43036

24Tye Kartye22133

28Oliver Bjorkstrand412311

43Darren Raddysh403318

Head-to-head finder

Mika Zibanejad vs Tampa Bay · game by game

See all: Mika Zibanejad vs Tampa Bay · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

1 Octhome112318:53

15 Apr 2026away112321:42

29 Nov 2025home011121:18

12 Nov 2025away011220:13

17 Apr 2025home213317:33

Last 5 meetings9 P4 G, 5 A · 12 SOG

Next best5 PJ.T. Miller, NYR

2026-27 season5 P5 GP · 1 G

Blank vs TBL0 of 5A point in every meeting

Full game log

Goaltending

Igor Shesterkin has started most of these meetings

Igor Shesterkin played 4 of the last 5 meetings with Tampa Bay, with a .942 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

NY Rangers

Expected starter after their game on 25 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Tampa Bay

Expected starter after their game on 25 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Igor Shesterkin

See all: Igor Shesterkin →

NYR · 3-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Mar

SV% · 2026-27.9264 GP · 1.75 GAA · 2025-26 .912

vs Tampa Bay.9424 app · 121 SA · 7 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+4.64 starts · most on the roster

vs TBLVenueSAGASV%

1 Octhome241.958

29 Nov 2025home343.912

12 Nov 2025away363.917

17 Apr 2025home2701.000

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Dylan Garand 1.000 (1 GP)

Full game log

Andrei Vasilevskiy

See all: Andrei Vasilevskiy →

TBL · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Mar

SV% · 2026-27.8983 GP · 2.05 GAA · 2025-26 .912

vs NY Rangers.7572 app · 37 SA · 9 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+1.03 starts · most on the roster

vs NYRVenueSAGASV%

1 Octaway244.833

12 Nov 2025home135.615

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

1 Oct6 · TBL 1–5 NYR

15 Apr 20266 · NYR 4–2 TBL

29 Nov 20255 · TBL 4–1 NYR

12 Nov 202510 · NYR 7–3 TBL

17 Apr 20254 · TBL 0–4 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

Tampa Bay2.672.333.542.82

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan

Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct

Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Tampa Bay · injuries

Dominic JamesHandIRReturn8 Oct

Emil LillebergUndisclosedOutReturn13 Oct

Yanni GourdeHipIRReturn2 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

6 Oct · TBL

Placed C Jansen Harkins on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan, G Mads Sogaard Nielsenon, LD Maxim Groshev, LW Jakob Pelletier and C Nicholas Abruzzese on waivers.

Injury report

NY Rangers · 2026 draft

See all: NY Rangers · 2026 draft →

#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD

#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD

#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG

#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD

Full draft

Tampa Bay · 2026 draft

See all: Tampa Bay · 2026 draft →

#52Oleg KulebiakinRound 2 · HalifaxRW

#90Tomas KralovicRound 3 · BratislavaD

#134Morgan AnderbergRound 5 · VaxjoC

#154Cooper SollerRound 5 · Sioux FallsC

Full draft

Saturday 27 March · the full slate

See all: Saturday 27 March · the full slate →

TBLThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final