Lightning vs. Canadiens Prediction: NHL Betting Odds
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Andrew Rogers
With Tampa Bay having already secured the Presidents’ Trophy and earning its historic 60th win vs. the Senators, this game means far less to the Lightning than it does to the playoff-hungry Habs.
Lightning vs Canadiens Betting Analysis
Throw out whatever trends you might normally apply to this matchup; as evidenced by the incredibly home-friendly odds here, it’s clear that the Canadiens value this game much more than their opponents. That all said, the gulf in talent between the teams is still significant even if Tampa Bay takes it easy – and the Lightning have won each of the previous five meetings between the teams, averaging four goals per outing over that stretch.
Tampa’s impressive goal-scoring prowess, combined with the Lighting opting to start Eddie Pasquale in goal against the Canadiens, should make the over-6.5 a popular play Tuesday. The Lightning have gone above the game total six consecutive times, and have racked up eight straight overs against Eastern Conference foes. Montreal is 5-1 to the over in its past six against the Atlantic Division, and 5-1 O/U in its last six vs. teams above .600.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Pasquale was called into duty after Andrei Vasilevskiy got the start in Monday’s 5-2 triumph in Ottawa and regular backup Louis Domingue was ruled out with a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old Pasquale was a fourth-round pick of the Lightning way back in 2008, but has just one NHL game under his belt; in it, he surrendered five goals on 24 shots in a 6-5 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings back on Dec. 28.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are probably thrilled to have avoided Vasilevskiy, who won all three of his starts against Montreal this season with a 2.00 goals-against average and one shutout. The Habs enter the game one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth, but they have a daunting patch to a playoff spot: Their final three games come against Tampa, Washington and Toronto, each of whom have 99 or more points.
