Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
The Lightning hit the road after extending their win streak with Thursday’s 4-1 win over Columbus. The Canadiens are on the rebound from Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the bottom-feeding Anaheim Ducks, which also marked the Habs’ fourth defeat in five home contests.
Backed by 84 per cent of sports bettors, the Lightning have soared to -252 favourites on the NHL odds since opening as a -235 bet, while the Canadiens have faded to +209 underdogs. The total is unchanged since opening at 6.5, with the OVEDR garnering 55 per cent of the betting action.
Lightning vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
Saturday night’s matchup at Bell Centre marks the first of four scheduled meetings between these Atlantic Division rivals. The Lightning took two of three from the Canadiens last season, including a 3-2 win in Montreal, and have now topped Montreal in 13 of 16 regular season clashes since April 2017.
Last season’s tilts were hard-fought affairs, with each of their three dates settled by a single goal. The OVER paid out in their past two meetings, but it is the UNDER that has prevailed in five straight clashes in Montreal.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have maintained their recent stingy ways during their current 4-0 run, outscoring opponents by a wide 19-6 margin. The club limited the Blue Jackets to just 25 shots on goal in Thursday’s victory, but have also needed some win-stealing performances in the crease during their current surge. Saturday night’s expected starter, Andrei Vasilevskiy, stood tall in the Lightning’s 6-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday, stopping 36 of 38 shots he faced. Vasilevskiy has now won five of six outings when facing 38 or more shots, with the lone exception during that stretch being a 4-3 shootout loss in Carolina on November 3 in which turned in a sparkling 52-save performance.
Up front the duo of Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov have provided the spark. Kucherov is coming off back-to-back three-assist outings, and has tallied three or more points in a game seven times since the beginning of November. Point has racked up nine goals and 14 points over his past 12 outings.
Montreal Canadiens
Ravaged by injuries to key veteran personnel, the Canadiens enter Saturday’s action riding a two-game losing streak, and have been outscored by a wide 21-8 margin during their current 1-4-0 swoon on home ice. Among the players sidelined are forwards Paul Byron, Brendan Gallagher, and Sean Monahan, as well as defenceman David Savard. Rearguard Mike Matheson has also been on the shelf for the past four games with a lower body injury, but could make a return on Saturday night.
This team has struggled at both ends of the ice during their current wave of injuries. Canadiens shooters have potted just two goals in each of their past four games, while the defence has surrendered over 30 shots in six straight contests. Saturday’s expected starter, Jake Allen, has performed admirably during this difficult stretch, racking up a solid .932 save percentage and allowing just nine totals while going 2-2-0 over his past four starts. Allen also turned in an impressive 37-save performance while leading the Canadiens to a 5-4 shootout win when he last faced the Lightning back in April.
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