The Boston Bruins put their six-game winning streak on the line as they battle it out with the three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Join us for our NHL odds series, where our Bruins-Lightning prediction and pick will be revealed.
Fresh off of yet another victory that saw the Bruins steal a 4-2 road win against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston's historic pace to the season has been rivaled by no team throughout the NHL. Coming into this one with a mind-blowing 38-5-4 record, the Bruins are well on their way to capturing the President's trophy as we near the first week of February in the not-so-distant future.
Although the Lightning haven't endured the same amount of success as the Bruins have up to this point of the season, Tampa Bay is still a rock-solid team that can inflict a considerable amount of damage at any point. Most recently, the Lightning were able to snap a mini two-game slide by defeating the Minnesota Wild at home by a score of 4-2. As it stands, the Lightning are a phenomenal 18-4-1 when playing in front of their home fans.
Here are the Bruins-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Bruins-Lightning Odds
Boston Bruins: -1.5 (-198)
Tampa Bay Lightning: +1.5 (-250)
Over: 6 (-118)
Under: 6 (-104)
How To Watch Bruins vs. Lightning
TV: ESPN+
Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Bruins Could Cover The Spread
We are starting to run out of words to describe just how lethal this roster has become, and for good reason. When taking a closer look at the success of the team, the Bruins have not lost in over two weeks and rarely make mistakes that end up costing them in the long run.
In order for Boston to improve upon their steady 31-16 record against the spread this season, it will become a must for the Bruins to continue to force their hand by creating the Lightning to commit giveaways in their own zone. Against the Canadiens, it was the Bruins that made Montreal turn the puck over 22 times en route to the victory. Without a doubt, Boston's suffocating defense is on another level this season and their chances of covering the spread would be significantly increased if Tampa Bay ends up being sloppy with the puck in their possession.
Not to mention, but when these two squads last faced off with one another back on Nov. 29th when the Bruins marched their way to a 3-1 triumph, Boston did a stellar job in the hits department as well. Alas, the Bruins punished the Lightning during their last meeting with one another and recorded a whopping 26 hits by the time the game had concluded. Clearly, this will prove to be another recipe for success if Boston remains aggressive on the boards and eliminates Tampa Bay's ability to skate freely in the open ice.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
When it comes to Tampa Bay's chances in pulling off a covering of the spread, the Lightning's best odds are to attack the Bruins with a plethora of shots on goal. After compiling a total of 39 shots on goal resulting in four goals scored against the Wild, it is hard to argue against the fact that Tampa Bay has a slew of dynamic skaters on the ice that can make life a living hell for even the hottest team in hockey in the Bruins.
For starters, the Lightning score the fifth-most goals in the league at 3.61 per contest and especially specialize when they are given extra-man opportunities. When on the power-play attack, Tampa Bay is converting on 27% of these chances and doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon.
While the Lightning certainly can make another team pay in a big way, no one is more dangerous than Tampa Bay right-winger Nikita Kucherov and his ability to spread the wealth around offensively. In fact, Kucherov's 49 total assists on the season is second to no one throughout the entire league. Combined with Kucherov's exceptional passing vision on the rink, keep your eyes peeled for the Lightning to also try to gain odd-man advantages when on the offensive attack to catch the Bruins' defense off-guard when making line changes.
Most importantly, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will need to stand on his head to avoid the Bruins from scoring frequently and abundantly later this evening. One of the more dominant net-minders of this generation, Vasilevskiy is coming off a splendid outing in which he stopped 33 of 35 shots en route to an impressive showing in net.
Final Bruins-Lightning Prediction & Pick
In this epic showdown between two of the better teams out east, side with the Lightning's chances of covering the spread simply because of their ability to play well at home and the fact that they will be seeking revenge in a big way after falling to the Bruins twice already earlier in the season.
Final Bruins-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning +1.5 (-250)
Follow Us
Subscribe