Tampa Bay Tries To Snap 3-Game Skid
This is the latest scheduled game between the NHL-leading Boston Bruins and the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning. However, don’t be surprised if the Atlantic Division rivals cross paths in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The teams are headed in different directions as the Bruins have won five games in a row and Tampa Bay has dropped three straight.
The Bruins are on the verge of clinching the Atlantic Division title and have a 15-point lead with 11 games left in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Tampa Bay still has an 11-point lead on Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division and is more than likely to draw Toronto in the first round of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay currently trails the Maple Leafs by five points in the standings with only eight games left to play so the Lightning will likely open the postseason playing on the road.
Tampa Bay has struggled on the road with a 17-18-1 record while the Bruins have suffered three regulation losses at home this season so keep that in mind when making NHL picks.
According to NHL news, Tampa Bay is in pretty good shape from an injury department. As for Boston, forwards Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno and defenseman Derek Forbort are out. Winger A.J. Greer is set to have a hearing with the NHL’s player safety department after his cross check to the face of Montreal forward Mike Hoffman in Thursday’s win so a suspension could be coming.
According to the NHL playoff odds, Boston (+350) continues to lead the way in the odds to win the Stanley Cup title. The Lightning (+1400) is tied for eighth in the championship odds.
Plenty of Strikes Against Lightning
This is usually the time of the year that a veteran Tampa Bay Lightning prepares for one of its long playoff runs.
However, there have been some troubling recent performances.
Tampa Bay has given up five goals or more in five of the first 11 games played in March. Included in those games are losses to Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Ottawa teams that could miss the playoffs.
The last time out, Ottawa scored four times in the third period in a 7-2 loss to the Senators. Tampa Bay allowed goals on two of Ottawa’s three power plays as the Lightning’s penalty-killing percentage dropped to 68% in March.
The Las Vegas odds total has gone over in four of Tampa Bay’s last five games.
Pasta on the Menu
The list of Boston Bruins with 50 goals in a season includes Phil Esposito, Cam Neely, Rick Middleton, Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge. With the next goal scored by David Pastrnak, he will join some pretty select company.
Neely is the last Bruins player to hit that mark as he had 50 goals in 49 games during the 1993-94 season. Pastrnak is at 49 through 70 games. He established a career-high when he scored his 49th goal against the Canadiens.
🎥@pastrnak96 on scoring his career-high 49th goal in B’s win over MTL: “This is the kind of game where the only thing you think about is getting the win. These games against Montreal never get old. It doesn’t really matter where in the standing each team is…it’s a big win.” pic.twitter.com/azWnOIcht6
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 24, 2023
He nearly hit that mark in Thursday’s win over Montreal. Brad Marchand had a chance at a wide-open net after the Canadiens pulled their goal trailing by a goal late in the third period. Marchand attempted a high-risk pass to Pastrnak that did not get through so that gives Pastrnak a chance to hit the 50-goal mark against the Lightning.
Pastrnak has 9 goals in his last 10 games against the Lightning.
The NHL betting lines total has gone under in five of Boston’s last six home games against Tampa Bay and four of the last five meetings with the Lightning.
Lightning vs Bruins Game Injuries
Lightning vs Bruins Head-to-Head
Tampa Bay snapped a five-game losing streak against Boston with a 3-2 win on Jan. 26 as Victor Hedman’s goal with 6:41 left snapped a 2-2 tie.
Boston won the first two matchups between the teams this season 5-3 and 3-1 back in November. Brad Marchand had three goals and David Krejci a team-high four points for Boston in the three games against Tampa Bay. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with four points in the three games.
Seven of the last nine games in the series went under the total.
Tampa Bay has won seven of the last nine games played on the road against the Bruins.
Lightning vs Bruins Game Information
- Game: Lightning (42-25-6) vs Bruins (55-11-5)
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Day/Time: Saturday, March 25, 1 p.m. ET
- Lightning vs Bruins Live Stream: NHL.TV
Lightning vs Bruins Betting Lines
Lightning vs Bruins Picks and Prediction
Boston is outscoring its opponents 21-5 during the five-game winning streak. However, the Bruins were outshot in each of the last two games against Ottawa and Montreal.
Tampa Bay figures to be a little fired up after a forgettable performance in a loss to Ottawa the last time out.
The Bruins are 48-11-5 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Tampa Bay is 3-8 as the underdog. Tampa Bay has covered in just 13 of its 36 road games. Boston is having one of the best marks at home in NHL history. However, the Bruins are 20-15 against the spread on home ice.
The Boston Bruins are listed at -165 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bruins, you have a chance to win $61. Tampa Bay is +145, offering a chance to win $145 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Boston Bruins a 62.26% chance to win, with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 40.82%.
Lightning vs Bruins Trends
Lightning vs Bruins Edge
Lightning vs Bruins Results
Lightning vs Bruins Game Summary
