Last year the Tampa Bay Lightning coasted with ease to the Presidents Trophy title, which goes to the team with the best regular season record in the NHL. And it was that lack of a serious regular season challenge that many believe was the reason for the Bolts being upset in a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the eighth-seed Columbus Blue Jackets. The monumental upset exposed Tampa Bay’s lack of playoff grit. Now the Lighting face the ultimate test. Team captain and second leading scorer Steven Stamkos is out of the lineup until late April due to surgery related to an abdominal issue. Tuesday night the Lightning will be facing the Eastern Conference defending champion and current first place leading Boston Bruins on NBCSN.
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 30, 2020, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
NHL Betting Online Odds at Bookmaker.eu: Check Back Later
Bruins vs. Lightning TV Coverage: NBCSN
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Wagering Odds Analysis
Boston is one of the most public teams on the NHL board and is steamrolling with powerful momentum. The Stamkos injury will only add to the Bruins price as the public flees the Lightning.
Boston Bruins Current Form
Boston has won seven of their last nine NHL games with four of their last five going over the total. The Bruins have opened up a seven-point lead in the Eastern Conference standings over second place Tampa Bay. Boston is 41-13-12 with just 27 of their games going over the total. The Bruins have NHL metrics of seventh for goal scored, second for the power play, first for goals against, and fourth for penalty killing.
Tampa Bay Lightning Current Form
Tampa Bay is 41-19-5 with only 26 of their games going under the total. Even before the Stamkos injury the Lightning were slumping. Although they are coming off a 4-3 win on Saturday over the Calgary Flames it was the first Tampa Bay win in five games and the seventh straight game that the Lightning went over the total. Overall TBL ranks second in the NHL for goal scoring, sixth for the power play, ninth for goals against and 11th for penalty killing.
Key Bruins: RW David Pastrnak (47 G, 44 A, 91 PTS, +23, 19 PPG, 17 PPA, 18.3 SPCT), D Torey Krug (8 G, 37 A, 45 PTS, -1, 2 PPG, 24 PPA, 5.9 SPCT), G Tuukka Rask (24-7-6, 2.16 GAA, .928 SVPCT, 4 SO)
Key Lightning: RW Nikita Kucherov (31 G, 49 A, 80 PTS, +25, 4 PPG, 20 PPA, 16.2 SPCT), D Victor Hedman (9 G, 44 A, 53 PTS, +24, 3 PPG, 18 PPA, 6.0 SPCT), G Andrei Vasilevskiy (33-12-3, 2.62 GAA, .914 SVPCT, 2 SO)
Boston and Tapa Bay Against the Spread
The Bruins are:
7-2 in their last nine away games
2-5 under the total on road ice
1-6 at Tampa Bay
2-5-1 under the total in their last eight away games with the Lighting
The Lightning are:
12-2 in their last 14 home games
5-3-1 over the total at Amalie Arena
9-1 in their last 10 games with the Bruins
3-1 over the total head to head with Boston
Despite the Stamkos injury Tampa Bay likely rates as the better value. The Lighting remain a top-quality team that is playing at home against a Bruins club that they have dominated. Further, the Saturday win over a Calgary squad in playoff position is a good sign. Boston will likely get an inflated price for this matchup.
Bruins vs. Lightning NHL Odds Best Bet: Tampa Bay Lightning
Bruins vs. Lightning NHL Odds Score Prediction: Lightning 3, Bruins 2
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