Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: NHL Odds, Prediction
It’s an unusual 1 p.m. ET start time from Tampa as most Lightning home games begin at 7 p.m. ET on Saturdays. It’s the fourth and final meeting between these teams, with Tampa Bay leading 2-1.
Canadiens vs Lightning Betting Analysis
The lone Montreal victory was at home on Jan. 4, 2-1 in a shootout when the Lightning were in the midst of a five-game road trip. Paul Byron was the only player to score in the shootout, and Carey Price had 44 saves. In the lone matchup in Tampa this season, the Lightning won 3-1 on Dec. 28. Steven Stamkos was the No. 1 star with two goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves. Brendan Gallagher scored and Price stopped 31 shots for Montreal.
Overall in the season series, Max Pacioretty leads the Canadiens with three points (2G, 1A), but he’s now likely out for the season with a knee injury. Price is 1-1-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .949 save percentage but is injured. Antti Niemi started the other one and allowed three goals in an overtime loss.
For Tampa, Stamkos (2G, 2A) and Nikita Kucherov (2G, 2A) each have four points vs. Montreal to lead the team. Vasilevskiy is 2-0-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .951 SV. Kucherov leads the NHL in points and could win the Hart Trophy, while Vasilevskiy is a leading candidate for the Vezina. Victor Hedman is right there for the Norris Trophy. The Lightning are battling the Predators for the Presidents’ Trophy. A Tampa Bay-Nashville Stanley Cup Finals is currently the favoured matchup at Sports Interaction.
Montreal Canadiens
The road woes for Montreal (25-31-11) continued Thursday as it lost a third straight game, with a dismal score of 5-0 at the Florida Panthers. It was the second game in a row Charlie Lindgren started in net with Price out, and Lindgren has allowed 11 goals over those two. Thus, it could Niemi on Saturday. Montreal actually outshot Florida 40-32 but couldn’t solve Roberto Luongo. Centre Phillip Danault sat out with neck stiffness and headaches and is in question Saturday. Defenceman Rinat Valiev suffered a lower-body injury in the loss, and the team has recalled fellow blueliner Brett Lernout from the AHL so Valiev appears set to miss a while. The Canadiens have just one victory in their past 11 Saturday games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning (47-17-4) won their fourth straight on Thursday, 5-3 over the visiting Rangers. The NHL’s highest-scoring team has not scored fewer than five goals during the winning streak. Tampa Bay had 17 shots on goal before the Rangers got their first. Vasilevskiy made 27 saves for his league-leading 40th victory, which ties the franchise record. The Bolts’ only loss in their past nine was in overtime. Left wing Yanni Gourde, from St-Narcisse, Quebec, is a Calder Trophy candidate with 24 goals and 29 assists. He’s third among rookies in points but will soon pass injured Canucks winger Brock Boeser for second behind the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal.
