Lightning Seeking To End Skid
The Carolina Hurricanes hope to continue their dominance against Eastern Conference teams when they host the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday afternoon.
The Hurricanes boast points in 25 of 31 contests (23-6-2) versus the East – 9-1-0 in the past 10 matchups – and are 8-2-1 against Atlantic Division foes. Carolina is also 21-7-2 on home ice.
Tampa Bay is solidly locked into a playoff spot as well, but the Lightning won just twice in their last nine games (2-4-3) and are winless in four (0-3-1) after a 5-3 defeat at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon that dropped their road mark to 15-15-1.
Carolina is one of the best defensive teams in the league, ranking second in goals-against per game (2.55) and fourth in penalty killing percentage (83.1) through Friday. The under is 32-27 overall in Hurricanes games, 5-1 in the last six and 8-1 in the past nine against the Atlantic Division according to NHL Lines.
Lightning Need Rebound
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper benched his top three scorers for the third period Saturday and saw some positives as the Lightning closed a four-goal deficit to two.
Captain Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point had a combined -6 rating in the first two periods against the Sabres and will be a bit more rested and ready for the matchup with the Hurricanes.
Here’s Jon Cooper’s full response on Kucherov, Point and Stamkos not playing in the third period. pic.twitter.com/F42uCOArxG
— Chris Krenn (@Chris_Krenn) March 4, 2023
Kucherov has points in eight straight games and 88 overall while Point can extend his goal streak to eight contests and tie a franchise record. Stamkos has 20 goals in 53 career games versus Carolina.
Veteran goalie Brian Elliott was in net Saturday, which means two-time Stanley Cup winner Andrei Vasilevskiy (28-15-3) will be between the pipes for the Sunday matinee.
The over is 6-2-0 in the last eight Tampa Bay games, according to NHL betting lines, but Vasilevskiy could break that trend.
Hurricanes Break Out
Carolina snapped a two-game slide with a 6-1 victory at the Arizona Coyotes on Friday, getting three points from leading scorer Martin Necas (56)
The Hurricanes went 3-for-4 on the power play after managing one goal with the man advantage in 13 tries over their previous six contests. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, brought in to help the offense — especially the power play – had one of the three extra-man tallies in his Carolina debut.
Necas and center Sebastian Aho each own nine points in their last seven games and defenseman Brent Burns boasts 12 in his past eight outings after posting his first career four-assist effort Friday.
The Hurricanes thrive on their defense, though, allowing a league best 26.2 shots per contest against goalies Frederik Andersen (14-6-0) and Antti Raanta (16-2-3). Raanta stropped 17 of 18 shots Friday while the Canes registered 42 shots on net.
If you are betting online, the under is 4-0 in Carolina’s last four home games.
Lightning vs Hurricanes Game Injuries
Lightning vs Hurricanes Head-to-Head
Tampa Bay has had the better of Carolina over a long stretch, winning 29 of the last 43, but the Hurricanes have done better of late.
Carolina has won three of the last four, although all of them were one-goal contests including a 4-3 shootout triumph on Nov. 3 in Tampa. Carolina had 55 shots on net in the game, but needed a short-handed goal from defenseman Brady Skjei with 6:26 left in regulation to tie it.
The under is 4-0 in the Las Vegas odds for the last four meetings in Carolina and 14-4-1 in the past 19 meetings overall. The road team has won seven of past 10 matchups on the money line.
According to the NHL conference odds, the Hurricanes are +400 to win the Eastern Conference (second) and Tampa Bay is +650 (fifth).
Lightning vs Hurricanes Game Information
- Game: Lightning (37-20-5) vs Hurricanes (40-12-8)
- Day/Time: Sunday, March 5, 3 p.m. ET
- Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
- Lightning vs Hurricanes Live Stream: NHL.TV
Lightning vs Hurricanes Betting Lines
Lightning vs Hurricanes Prediction
The Lightning have almost always come up with a strong response in these scenarios the past four seasons.
Stamkos, Kucherov and Point will be quite motivated to do damage and a rested Vasilevskiy gives Tampa Bay an even better chance.
However, the Hurricanes will take this as a big test as well and are two points up on the New Jersey Devils for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
We think Carolina will edge the Lightning, who are 2-9 ATS in the past 11 in the second of a back-to-back. If you are online gambling, playing the money line may be the best bet.
The Lightning are listed at +145 in our Las Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on Tampa Bay, you have a chance to win $145. The Hurricanes are -165, offering a chance to win $61 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Lightning a 40.82% chance to win, with Carolina at 62.26%.
Lightning vs Hurricanes Trends
Lightning vs Hurricanes Edge
Lightning vs Hurricanes Results
Lightning vs Hurricanes Game Summary
