Two playoff contenders from the Atlantic Division face off as the Boston Bruins face the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Bruins-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Bruins come into the game at 20-18-5, which is good for third in the Atlantic Divison. In their last game, they faced the Edmonton Oilers. Adam Henrique opened the scoring to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. Connor McDavid would extend the lead in the second period, and the Oilers would go on to score four times in the game. Meanwhile, Stuart Skinner, before leaving the game with an injury, stopped all 26 shots he faced as the Oilers won 4-0.
Meanwhile, the Lightning are 21-15-2, which places them in fourth in the Atlantic Division. This has the Lightning looking at trade options to bolster the lineup. In their last game, they faced the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a back-and-forth game, with the Lightning having a 1-0 lead after the first period, and a 2-1 lead after the second. In the third period, Jordan Staal scored to tie the game. Still, Brayden Point scored with 52 seconds left in the game to win it for the Lightning.
Here are the Bruins-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Bruins-Lightning Odds
Boston Bruins: +1.5 (-196)
Moneyline: +130
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+158)
Moneyline: -156
Over: 5.5 (-142)
Under: 5.5 (+116)
How To Watch Bruins vs Lightning
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Bruins Could Cover the Spread/Win
It is David Pastrnak who leads the team in goals, assists, and points this year, playing on the top line for the Boston Bruins. He has 17 goals and 25 assists, good for 42 points. He is joined on the top line by Pavel Zach and Morgan Geekie. Zavha has nine goals and 12 assists this year, while Geekie has nine goals and nine assists.
Brand Marchand, currently on the second line, is second on the team in goals, assists, and points. He has 15 goals and 17 assists on the year. He is joined by Elias Lindholm, who has seven goals and 13 assists on the year, third on the team in points. Further, the Bruins also get production from Justin Brazeau, who is on the third line. He comes in with ten goals and eight assists.
Jeremy Swayman is expected to be in goal for the Bruins in this one. He is 13-14-3 with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. Swayman has been solid, but not getting great results as of late. In his last five games, he has allowed 11 goals, good for just over two a game, but still, he is 1-4-0 in those five games.
Why the Lightning Could Cover the Spread/Win
Nikita Kucherov leads the team in assists and points this year, playing on the top line for the Lightning. He comes into the game with 17 goals and 29 assists, good for 56 points. Further, he has two goals and 21 assists on the power play. Kucherov is joined on the line by Brayden Points, who leads the team in goals. He comes into the game with 24 goals and 22 assists, with 11 goals and eight assists on the power play. Finally, Jake Guentzel rounds out the line. He has 21 goals and 19 assists on the year, with nine goals and three assists on the power play.
Meanwhile, Brandon Hagel leads the second line for the Lightning. He comes into the game with 18 goals and 25 assists this year, while having two goals and two assists shorthanded. He is joined on the line by Anthony Cirelli. Cirelli has 15 goals and 18 assists on the year. Finally, Victor Hedman has five goals and 24 assists from the blue line.
Andrei Vasilevkiy is expected to be in goal for the Lightning in this game. He is 17-12-1 on the year with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. He has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his last four starts, going 2-2-0 in those four games. He has also been above .920 in save percentage in three of the four games.
Final Bruins-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Lightning come in as favorites in terms of odds in this NHL game, but both teams are struggling to find wins as of late. The Bruins have just one win in the last seven games and have given up 26 goals in the process. They have struggled on defense this year overall, sitting 20th in the NHL in goals against per game. The Lightning have just one win in their last five but have been better on defense this year, allowing just 2.79 goals per game, which is tenth in the NHL. They have struggled to score as of late. While they average 3.68 goals per game, they have scored just eight goals in the last five games. Still, the Lightning are the better team and will get the win.
Final Bruins-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning ML (-156)
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