Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET, the New York Rangers (12-11-0, 24 points) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (14-8-1, 29 points) faceoff live from the Tampa Bay Times Forum in the first of three meetings against each other this season. The game can be live streamed here. New York fans can hear all the action on ESPN Radio 98.7 while Tampa Bay fans can do the same on 970 WFLA.
New York enters play in search of an NHL-best seven-game road winning streak after having won their past six games away from Madison Square Garden while Tampa Bay comes home to open a three-game set after losing all four of its games on its last road trip.
The Lightning suffered their last loss by a 1-0 margin against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, and despite going 0-3-1 on their four-game road swing, coach Jon Cooper likes the way some of his young players have looked.
"They're using their speed. They're figuring out the NHL, and I just think they're only going to get better," Cooper told the Tampa Bay Times.
The Rangers' penalty kill has been solid, stopping 26 of the last 30 power plays it has faced, and it was on full display again when the Blueshirts knocked off the Nashville Predators 2-0 Saturday to notch their sixth straight road win.
"I could get used to this, for sure," goaltender Cam Talbot said after the game Saturday, according to NHL.com. "The guys have played unbelievably in front of me the past two games."
Talbot will make way for starter Henrik Lundqvist tonight. Lundqvist is 7-9-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. For Tampa Bay, Ben Bishop has played in 18 of 25 games and has put together an impressive 13-3-1 record with a 2.20 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
If Bishop mans the crease, he'll look to stop a New York offense that is led by Brad Richards (six goals, 10 assists) and Derek Stepan (five goals, 11 assists) who each have 16 points thus far this season while captain Ryan Callahan is tied with Richards for the team lead with six tallies while adding three helpers for nine points.
With Steven Stamkos (broken tibia) sidelined, Martin St. Louis paces the Lightning with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points while Valtteri Filppula has 16 points by lighting the lamp nine times and adding seven helpers and Alex Killorn has found the back of the net six times and added nine assists for 15 points.
The Rangers will look for a seventh straight road win while the Lightning hopes that coming home will help it put its road woes behind it when the puck drops at the Tampa Bay Times Forum tonight.
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