It's the team Steve Yzerman built in the Tampa Bay Lightning, hosting the team he is building, the Detroit Red Wings. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Red Wings-Lightning prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Tampa Bay is heading to Toronto for a rematch from last year's playoffs. Last night did not go their way, as they fell 4-3 to Toronto in Tampa Bay. It was not for a lack of getting pucks on the net though, as Tampa Bay outshot Toronto 48-24, but Joseph Woll saved 45 of 48 shots to bring the Lightning down. The Red Wings also come in off of a loss, falling 4-1 to the Hurricanes. They have now lost four straight games, just like the Lightning. One of the losing streaks will come to an end tonight.
Here are the Red Wings-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Red Wings-Lighting Odds
Detroit Red Wings: +1.5 (-125)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+104)
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
How To Watch Red Wings vs. Lightning
TV: BSSUN/BSDET
Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Red Wings Could Cover The Spread
The Red Wings once again continued to struggle to score against the Hurricanes. That is now three straight games of scoring just one goal. David Perron attempted to help with the woes. He was the lone goal in the 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars and has eight goals in his last nine games. Last time out against Carolina, he had an assist on the lone goal in that one. The goal went to Robert Hagg. It was quite a surprise that Hagg got the goal, considering it is only his second of the year in 37 games. Hagg is a blue-liner but does not possess a big shot, so expecting him to score consistently will be difficult.
The other aspect of the play went to Joe Veleno. Veleno has seen some success this year against Tampa Bay. He has only 11 assists on the season with the one against Carolina, but two of his assists have come against Tampa Bay. He has been positive in plus/minus against them as well. The Red Wings have won two of the first three meetings against Tampa. In the two wins, they have scored 11 goals, but both of those were in December. Dylan Larkin led the charge with two goals and an assist in the wins, but he is day-to-day, and may not play tonight. Perron had two goals and two assists in the game, and will most likely need to carry the load again tonight.
Ville Husso is currently in line for the start for the Red Wings in goal. His last time out saw him play just 12:10, as he gave up three goals on five shots to the Dallas Stars. In the two games before that, he gave up five or more in each of them. He has given up five or more goals in five of his last 11 starts, and it probably would have been six for 11 if he has not been pulled. He does have one shutout in there, stopping all 24 of Montreal's shots on April 4th.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
The Lightning was at home and still could not get it done. They do not look like they are ready for the playoffs, as shown by their last four games. They have lost all four, and given up 23 goals in the process. Last night had a lot more positive though. For the first time in the last 11 games, they had 35 or more shots. they finished with 48 shots on goal last night. They had more shots than their opponent for the first time in their last five games as well.
The power play was what killed them last night. After going three for five against Ottawa, they went 0-8 against Toronto. Toronto was able to convert two of six chances on the power play, and while Tampa controlled the game in five-on-five situations, they lost it on the power play.
Brian Elliott will start tonight for Tampa Bay. He has been dreadful in his last three starts. He has been below .860 in save percentage in each of them and has given up six goals in all three games. On the season, he is giving up 3.56 goals per game and has won 11 times. This start is about giving their top guys some rest as they head into the playoffs.
Final Red Wings-Lightning Prediction & Pick
Tampa Bay needs a win for morale before heading into the playoffs. No team likes to enter the playoffs on a five-game skid. Still, the game means nothing to them. They can rest guys, and probably will. The top guys should see some of their minutes reduced. Detroit is limited tonight. They are missing a lot of guys due to injury, and have limited scoring options. They do get to face a weaker goaltender, but that will not be enough. Tampa gets a win and gets ready for Toronto.
Final Red Wings-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+104)
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