It is an Eastern Conference battle as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Lightning-Hurricanes prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Lightning come into the game at 9-6-5 on the year. They had won three straight games, including beating the Bruins before going into their game with the Winnipeg Jets. In that game, the Jets took a 2-0 lead in the first period, before the Lightning made it 2-1 on the Steven Stamkos power play goal. The Lighting would tie it up in the second period on a Brayden Point goal, but that would be the end of the scoring for regulation. In overtime, Adam Lowry scored his third of the year, to send the Lightning to a loss.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are 11-7-0 on the year.  They have won three of their last four games though, and five of their last seven. Last time out, they faced the Edmonton Oilers. It was high-scoring early on in that game. The Hurricanes scored 9:17 into the first, and then again 35 seconds later. They would lead 4-0 in the first period before Zach Hyman made it 4-1 at the end of the period. In the second period, Martin Necas scored to make it 5-1, but the Oilers would score short-handed to stay in the game. Hyman would score his second of the game to make it 5-3, but after an empty net goal, the Hurricanes would win 6-3.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Lightning-Hurricanes Odds

Tampa Bay Lightning: +136

Carolina Hurricanes: -164

Over: 6.5 (+104)

Under: 6.5 (-128

How to Watch Lightning vs. Hurricanes

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

TV: NHLPP/ESPN+

Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Lightning Will Win

The Lightning has been led by Nikita Kucherov. He is tied for third in the NHL in points this year. Kucherov comes into the game with 13 goals and 16 assists, good for 29 points. He also has been great on the power play, coming into the game with five goals and nine assists on the power play this year. His linemate, Brayden Point, is second on the team in points. He enters the game with 24 points on the year, with eight goals and 16 assists. Four goals and six assists have come on the power play. Rounding out the line is Brandon Hagel, who comes in with nine goals and ten assists of his own.

Beyond the top line, Steven Stamkos provides production. He comes into the game third on the team in points, having eight goals and 13 assists on the year. He is joined on a line with Nichola Paul who has eight goals and three assists on the year. Still, the Lightning gets a lot of help from the blue line on offense. Victor Hedman has four goals and 17 assists this year. Meanwhile, Mikhail Sergachev has two goals and 12 assists on the year.

The Lightning sit eighth in the NHL in goals per game this year, with 3.53 goals per game. On the power play, they are second in the NHL, converting 31.3 percent of their chances. They have also been strong man-down. They sit 11th in the NHL with a penalty kill rate of 84.5 percent on the year.

The Lighting is expected to send Jonas Johansson to defend the net today. He is 8-4-5 on the year with a 3.41 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. While both of those numbers sit outside the top 30 in the NHL, he is tied for second with two shutouts this year. He has not been good this month, with just a .856 save percentage. Last time out he was solid, stopping 29 of 36 shots, but took an overtime loss.

Why The Hurricanes Will Win

The Hurricanes are not scoring as much as they would like this year. They are 18th in the NHL in goals per game, sitting with 3.39 goals per game this year. They have been led by Sebastian Aho, who leads the team in points this year. He has five goals on the season with 11 assists to give him his 16 points. He also has to give assists on the power play, while having a goal and assist when short-handed. The team leader in goals this year is Teuvo Teravainen. He comes into another game with ten goals on the season with four assists. That gives him 14 points which is good for third on the team this year.

Meanwhile, the second on the team in both points and goals this year is Seth Jarvis. Jarvis comes into the game with eight goals and seven assists on the season, good for 15 points. He has also been amazing on the power play this season. Jarvis has scored five goals on the power play this season, with one assist. Beyond the top three, Marin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are both producing. Both of them come into the game with six goals and seven assists, giving them each 13 points this year.

The Hurricanes are ninth in the NHL this year on the power play. They are converting on 22.7 percent of their chances this year, with 15 power-play goals. Further, they are middle of the pack on the man down. On the penalty kill, they sit 17th in the NHL with a 79.0 percent kill rate.

It will be Antti Raanta going to defend the goal tonight for the Hurricanes. He had been day-to-day, but the expectation is he will be back to make the start in this one. He is 6-2-0 on the year with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage. Last time out, he made it through just 20 minutes of the game, allowing one goal on eight shots. Still, he is 3-1 in starts that he has finished this month, with a save percentage of over .900 in two of them.

Final Lightning-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick

The Lightning are looking forward to getting Andrei Vasilevsky back soon. The goaltending for the Lightning has struggled and that could be an issue in this game. Further, Carolina has been solid on offense, especially as of late. They have been better at home as well. The Hurricanes are 6-1-0 at home this year, while the Lightning have struggled on the road. They are just 3-4-2 on the road this year. With the Lighting struggling between the pipes, take the Hurricanes at home in this one.

Final Lightning-Hurricanes Prediction & Pick: Hurricanes ML (-164)