Scoreboard	1	2	3	OT	Odds
Boston Bruins 44-14-5-7	0	1	1	0	+5.5
Tampa Bay Lightning 43-21-5-1	0	1	1	1	+120

Bruins vs. Lightning Game 5 Prediction, Stanley Cup Playoff Odds

The Tampa Bay Lightning won their third straight game in their Eastern Conference semifinal with the Boston Bruins, topping them 3-1 on Saturday. The Bruins have suddenly lost their way as they were close to leading this series 2-0 but instead have now lost three straight while getting outscored 10-2 in the last two games. The Bruins were the best team in the NHL’s regular season and they’ll have to regain that form on Monday if they’re to stave off elimination.

Bruins vs. Lightning Betting Analysis

Tampa Bay continues to thrive after big wins as they are now 19-7 when winning by two or more. Saturday’s win boosts them to 17-7 against teams with a winning record over their last 24 games.

As for the Bruins, many of the same trends will apply to them in Game 5 as they did in Game 4. They are 6-6 after a loss by two or more in their previous game. They have now lost eight of the last 10 meetings in this series.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins finally outshot the Lightning in a game this series but it didn’t mean much. They were still outplayed on Saturday and weren’t really in the game for very long despite winning 65.4% of the faceoffs and having four power play opportunities.

The issue is that the Bruins get their strength from their defense and goaltending, and they are looking visibly discouraged when it lets them down these days. On the first goal, Palat somehow got himself free for a shot from right in front of the net despite there being four Bruins around him. How can that happen? As for his second goal, it was definitely a rocket but it was a visible one-timer that the team that finished with the most points in the NHL would expect their goaltender to stop. This really took the air out of the Bruins sails.

For Boston to win Game 5, they need to avoid these types of defensive miscues and try to get in front and play with the lead. They’ve been playing from behind the last two games and it’s been an uphill battle. Getting the first goal should give their confidence a big shot in the arm.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning picked up a second straight easy win in this series as they won 3-1 on Saturday. While the scoreline looks somewhat close, the reality is that on the ice, the game wasn’t. Tampa Bay had a comfortable 3-0 lead before Boston got on the board in the third period.

Tampa Bay’s offensive weapons have come to life in the last few games as they’ve now scored three or more in three straight games. Ondrej Palat had a pair of goals on Saturday and now has five points in the last three games, Nikita Kucherov had two assists and now has six points in the last two games while Brayden Point had an assist in Game 5 and has six points in the series. Meanwhile, Boston’s top line has been quiet.

The key here is that the Bruins just aren’t as airtight on the defensive end as they have been in previous years – or earlier this year – with Tuukka Rask out. Jaroslav Halak isn’t playing poorly but he’s not cutting the mustard. On Saturday, he only faced 26 shots but could only stop 23 of them (.885 save percentage). He’ll have to play better for Boston to dig out of this hole.