Who's ready for some more hockey action on this Tuesday? In this edition, the San Jose Sharks will make the long trek east to battle it out with the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is time to check out our NHL odds series where our Sharks-Lightning prediction and pick will come true.
With their playoff hopes on the brink of non-existence at 15-25-11, the Sharks have little to no room of error the rest of the season if they want to undergo a miraculous turnaround. Fortunately, the Sharks were able to down the Penguins on the road prior to the All-Star Break which also resulted in snapping a lengthy four-game losing skid in the process.
When it comes to the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs, the Lightning are still getting used to not being the one team that the rest of the league is looking up to. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay still remains as dangerous as ever with a 32-16-1 record and have put themselves in a prime position to make a run at the second-place spot in the Atlantic Division as they sit only five points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Here are the Sharks-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Sharks-Lightning Odds
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-120)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (-102)
Over: 6.5 (-134)
Under: 6.5 (+110)
How To Watch Sharks vs. Lightning
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Sharks Could Cover The Spread
As downright awful as the Sharks have been so far this season, they have at least given a respectable effort when it comes to covering the spread as they have accumulated a 27-24 record for bettors. Not only have they been able to keep games close, but they are also one of the strongest penalty-killing units that the league has to offer. In fact, only five other teams around the league have posted a better percentage in killing off power plays than the Sharks as they have strived not to surrender any goals when down a man.
Of course, the Sharks would most likely prefer to stay out of the penalty box later this evening, and instead attack the Lightning with a flurry of good looks on the offensive side of the ice. On paper, San Jose has struggled mightily when it comes to scoring goals consistently, but this does not mean that they cannot receive a stellar performance from one of the top skaters on this roster in defenseman Erik Karlsson. At the moment, the offensive-minded defender in Karlsson leads the Sharks with 50 assists and 66 points as he loves to hover around the top of the blue line and find his open teammates for scores. Alas, the key to victory for San Jose happens to be to keep the giveaways to a minimum and pass the puck around offensively to perfection.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
Despite being heavy favorites in this on at first glance, by no means can Tampa Bay afford to take San Jose lightly in this one. Coming off of a humbling 7-1 loss in their first game back from the All-Star festivities, the Lightning are hoping that they can get back in the swing of things by making a statement later this evening.
Without a doubt, Tampa Bay surely didn't do a whole lot right against the Panthers out on the road yesterday, as their offense was stale and their defense was lackluster. Regardless of the horrendous showing not even 24 hours ago, Tampa Bay is one of the more well-balanced squads in the entire league on both sides of the ice.
For starters, Tampa Bay should have a tremendous chance to cover the spread if they can take advantage of a Sharks bunch that allows the fourth-most goals in all of the land. Obviously, this is a sight for sore eyes for a Lightning team that could use tonight's showdown as a get-right game moving forward. In addition, Tampa Bay is one of the league's top-scoring teams with 3.57 goals per game, so be on the lookout for the Lightning to take advantage of this matchup.
Not to mention, receiving a bounce-back outing from the goaltenders in tonight's matchup may prove to go a long way for Tampa. In the blowout loss to the Panthers, it was Andrei Vasilevskiy that allowed a season-high seven goals and was not his usual self. After playing last night, don't be shocked if the Lightning great gets the night off to clear his head, but even if he does get the start once again, a similar performance certainly won't cut it.
Final Sharks-Lightning Prediction & Pick
After getting humiliated a night ago, the Lightning will come out with their hair on fire and take care of business against a Sharks squad that they are clearly superior to. While anything can happen in 60 minutes of play on the ice, it is wise to side with Tampa Bay and their ability to cover the spread in this one.
Final Sharks-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Lightning -1.5 (-102)
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