The Tampa Bay Lightning (48-25-6) and Boston Bruins (43-26-10) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 12:30 p.m. EDT at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The game will be broadcast live on ABC.
The Lightning are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (-118o / -106u). The Lightning are a -125 favorite to win outright, while the Bruins are +105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lightning vs. Bruins predictions and NHL picks.
Lightning vs. Bruins Odds, Pick
| Lightning Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +193 | 6 -118o / -106u | -125 |
| Bruins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -242 | 6 -118o / -106u | +105 |
- Lightning vs. Bruins Spread: Lightning -1.5 (+193), Bruins +1.5 (-242)
- Lightning vs. Bruins Over/Under: 6 (-118o / -106u)
- Lightning vs. Bruins Moneyline: Lightning -125, Bruins +105
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Lightning vs. Bruins Preview
The Bruins have yet to clinch a playoff spot, and in this Eastern Conference, leaving any room for error is a recipe for disaster.
Currently, Boston sits in the first Wild Card position in the East with 96 points, and even though with three games, it's hard to see this team losing out, we've seen crazier things. But the one thing they'll need is for their top guys to perform — which is exactly what they've done.
David Pastrnak has recorded points in 16 out of his last 18 games, while Morgan Geekie netted a hat trick in Boston's recent 6-5 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.
The problem for the B's is that the Lightning stand in their way, a team that was one of the more dominant teams all season, but has fallen victim in three straight losses.
And it'll be even harder to pull out a win without Brandon Hagel, who's been out since the beginning of April, as well as captain Victor Hedman, who's been away from the team on an indefinite leave of absence.
What we should expect, though, is a major battle of the goaltenders.
You can argue that Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy is the Vezina Trophy frontrunner, playing to a .901 SV% and a 3.3 GSAx over his last 10 games.
Meanwhile, for the Bruins, Jeremy Swayman has only gotten better as the season has worn on. In his last 10 games, he's played to a 4.8 GSAx and a .906 SV%.
Lightning vs. Bruins Prediction
I'm feeling good about the under here.
Tampa has thrived on the defensive end down the stretch, even if it did lose three in a row. But in the past 10 games, the Bolts have played like a top-10 defense with an 18.55 xGA. Additionally, their offense has been bottoming out, especially with Hagel out, as they're playing to a bottom-tiered expected goals rate.
However, on the other end, Boston's offense has done fairly well on offense over that period, with a top-15 xGF%. It's the defense that doesn't agree with the B's, with a bottom-10 xGA.
The problem is, it's the differing styles of play that make this an easy call for me. Tampa's strength plays right into Boston's strength and vice versa.
Pick: Under 6.5 (-132)
