Our Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1-0 this season; 50-26-6 in 2025-26) visit the New York Rangers (5-2-0 this season; 34-39-9 in 2025-26) at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Puck drop is 7:15 PM ET (7:15 PM local). TV: The Spot / MSG.
Storyline: Tampa Bay enters Tuesday at 4-1-0 after a 5-3 win at the Islanders (Oct. 10). The Rangers enter Tuesday at 5-2-0 after a 6-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 11). The Rangers won two of three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Tampa Bay at -162 and the Rangers at +136 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Rangers |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1-0 | New York Rangers 5-2-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Tampa Bay Lightning 50-26-6 | New York Rangers 34-39-9 |
| Head Coaches | TBL: Jon Cooper (14th season) | NYR: Mike Sullivan (2nd season) |
| Puck Line | TBL -1.5 (+154) | NYR +1.5 (-185) |
| Moneyline | Tampa Bay Lightning: -162 | New York Rangers: +136 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+114 / u-135) |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 — 7:15 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | The Spot / MSG |
| Probable Starting Goalies | TBL: Andrei Vasilevskiy (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | NYR: Dylan Garand (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, ~10:55 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) and Dylan Garand (Rangers) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Preview: Hagel Leads a 4-1-0 Start
2025-26 recap: Tampa Bay went 50-26-6 (106 points), finished second in the Atlantic Division and lost to Montreal in seven games in the first round. Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy after scoring 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy and Jon Cooper won the Jack Adams Award for the first time (NHL.com). Jake Guentzel had 38 goals and 88 points, and Brandon Hagel scored 36 goals.
Offseason moves: Tampa Bay signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract to replace Darren Raddysh, who had 70 points last season and was traded to Toronto. The Lightning also signed forwards Ilya Mikheyev (four years) and Jeffrey Viel (five years) and acquired goalie Dennis Hildeby from Toronto for forward Nick Paul (TampaBayLightning.com, NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kucherov, Brayden Point, Guentzel, Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, Mikheyev, Pontus Holmberg and Conor Geekie lead the forwards. Victor Hedman is back after a personal leave that lasted from March 20 through the end of last season, and Carlson, J.J. Moser, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous round out the defense. Cooper is in his 14th season as coach.
Goalies: Andrei Vasilevskiy has started four games and is 3-1-0 with an .892 save percentage (74 saves on 83 shots). Most recently, he made 20 saves on 23 shots in a 5-3 win at the Islanders (Oct. 10). Dennis Hildeby has started one game and is 1-0-0 with a .944 save percentage (34 saves on 36 shots). That start was a 3-2 win over Minnesota (Oct. 8). ESPN lists Andrei Vasilevskiy as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Tampa Bay is 4-1-0 through five games, with 16 goals scored and 12 allowed. Results: a 5-1 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 1), a 3-1 win over Washington (Oct. 3), a 4-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 5), a 3-2 win over Minnesota (Oct. 8) and a 5-3 win at the Islanders (Oct. 10). Brandon Hagel has eight points (four goals, four assists), and Nikita Kucherov has eight points (one goal, seven assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) is day to day; Yanni Gourde (hip surgery) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
New York Rangers Preview: Lafrenière Leads a 5-2-0 Start
2025-26 recap: The Rangers went 34-39-9 (77 points), finished last in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. Mika Zibanejad led the team with 78 points (34 goals, 44 assists, 16 power-play goals), Lafrenière had 57 points, and Artemi Panarin had 57 points in 52 games before he was moved to Los Angeles during the season. Adam Fox had 53 points in 55 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: The Rangers added forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals (20 on the power play) for Vegas, forwards Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay) and Joseph Veleno, defensemen Sean Durzi (Utah) and Marcus Pettersson (Vancouver), goalie Joonas Korpisalo (Boston) and defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 selection in the 2026 draft. Vincent Trocheck now plays for Utah (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Lafrenière, Dorofeyev, Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault, Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand lead the forwards. Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Durzi, Pettersson, Braden Schneider and Smits are on defense. Mike Sullivan is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Igor Shesterkin has started five games and is 3-1-0 with a .927 save percentage (101 saves on 109 shots). Most recently, he made 13 saves on 14 shots in a 3-1 loss at Washington (Oct. 9). Dylan Garand has started two games and is 2-1-0 with a .945 save percentage (52 saves on 55 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 21 shots in a 6-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 11). ESPN lists Dylan Garand as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: The Rangers are 5-2-0 through seven games, with 23 goals scored and 13 allowed. Results: a 3-0 loss at Boston (Sept. 29), a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay (Oct. 1), a 2-0 win at Detroit (Oct. 2), a 4-2 win over Utah (Oct. 4), a 5-2 win over the Islanders (Oct. 6), a 3-1 loss at Washington (Oct. 9) and a 6-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 11). Alexis Lafrenière has eight points (five goals, three assists), and Mika Zibanejad has seven points (one goal, six assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Igor Shesterkin (knee surgery), Joe Veleno (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (lower body) and Adam Sykora (lower body) are on injured reserve; Aidan Thompson (undisclosed) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Lightning vs Rangers
- Schedule spot: Tampa Bay last played on Oct. 10 and hosts Seattle on Oct. 15. The Rangers last played on Oct. 11 and visits New Jersey on Oct. 15.
- Last season: The Rangers won two of three meetings last season. Tampa Bay won 4-1 on the road on Nov. 29, 2025. The Rangers won 7-3 in Tampa Bay on Nov. 12, 2025 and 4-2 in Tampa Bay on April 15, 2026 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Tampa Bay is converting 10 percent of its power plays and has killed 72.7 percent of penalties. The Rangers are converting 26.3 percent of its power plays and has killed 90 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Tampa Bay has scored 16 goals and allowed 12 in 5 games. The Rangers have scored 23 goals and allowed 13 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Tampa Bay -162 / The Rangers +136 on the moneyline, Lightning -1.5 (+154) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Puck drop: 7:15 PM ET (7:15 PM local)
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
TV: In the U.S., MSG carries it in the Rangers’ market and The Spot carries it in the Lightning’s market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 13, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.