Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
The Montreal Canadiens will be eyeing the top of the Atlantic Division standings when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night in NHL betting action at Bell Centre.
In the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 shootout win over Toronto, the Canadiens took a step back, falling 4-3 to St. Louis on Sunday night, but still enter Tuesday’s actions just two points back of first-place Detroit in the division standings.
The Lightning were toppled from their perch atop the Atlantic with Monday’s 2-0 loss in Toronto that marked their second straight shutout defeat and extended their current slide to four games.
The Canadiens get set to hit the ice as razor-thin -115 favourites on the NHL odds. The Lightning are pegged as a -105 bet, and the total is listed at 6.5.
Lightning vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
The Canadiens held the edge in three dates with the Lightning last season, claiming a pair of victories but splitting a pair of contests on home ice, capped by a 5-3 defeat in early February. The Habs’ wins put the brakes on the club’s lengthy slide versus Tampa Bay, with the Lightning earning the win in 13 of 15 previous clashes between these divisional rivals including victories in six of seven at Bell Centre.
With the Bolts scoring an average of 4.14 goals per game, the total has gone OVER in six of seven meetings, with Montreal scoring at least three times in each of those contests. However, goals have come at a premium for both these teams of late. The Lightning have mustered just three total even-strength goals during their four-game swoon while the Canadiens have generated just 2.40 goals per game while losing three of five, and have scored more than three goals just twice while losing six of eight at home.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Already struggling to generate offence, the Lightning’s woes have been deepened by the recent loss of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was placed on injured reserve on Monday with an undisclosed injury. Vasilevskiy has now missed three straight games, and while backup Jonas Johansson has stood tall, allowing just a single goal in three of four starts.
It remains to be seen how seldom-used journeyman Brandon Halverson performs on Tuesday in what is expected to be just his second NHL start since February 2017. The 29-year-old was lit up in his lone previous start last season, giving up five goals on 24 shots in a 6-4 loss in Utah in late March but had compiled a respectable 9-4-0 record with two shutouts, a 2.58 goals against average and .901 save percentage in 13 appearances with the AHL Syracuse Crunch before getting recalled to serve as Johansson’s backup.
Up front, Tampa Bay’s leading goal scorer has been quiet during the club’s swoon. Brandon Hagel was limited to just one shot on goal ion Monday’s loss to the Leafs and has now been held off the scoresheet in three of four games including a pair of road dates. Jake Guentzel is also mired in a four-game scoring drought while Nikita Kucherov has scored just once in his past five games.
Montreal Canadiens
Noah Dobson finally snapped out of a five-game scoring slump with a goal and an assist on Sunday night, and this club will need more steady production from the explosive rearguard if they are to bust out of their current offensive slide.
However, there are positives to keep in mind. Sunday’s loss to the Blues marked the first time in five games that the Habs have scored multiple goals at even strength. However, the club once again failed to hold an early lead for the third time in four games and have continued to struggle as games wear on, scoring just one total goal in third-period action over the past four games.
The Canadiens have not been without opportunity, outshooting the Blues by a 26-18 margin after outshooting the Leafs 34-23 on Saturday night. But a lack of consistency between the pipes from Tuesday’s expected starter Jakub Dobes has not helped matters. Dobes was solid while turning aside 52 of 55 shots in last week’s wins over Winnipeg and Toronto, but has allowed four or more goals in five of 10 outings including three of his past five home appearances.
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