David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and the Boston Bruins are set to face off against Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in a divisional tilt. The action gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 6 and it can be caught live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
The Lightning (-170) are the favorite over the Bruins (+150) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-110 over, -110 under).
Tampa Bay is 21-8 straight-up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 6.5 units this year. That win percentage, the league’s best so far in the early season, is an improvement compared to what the team did during last year’s regular season (54-28). Through 29 regular season contests, 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team’s 11-4 SU at home.
The Lightning have converted on 28.2 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 28.1 saves per game with a .900 save percentage, Louis Domingue (11 wins, four losses) has been the best option in goal for Tampa Bay this season. If the Bolts, however, decide to rest him, the team may turn to Andrei Vasilevskiy (9-4-4 record, .927 save percentage, 2.29 goals against average).
On the other bench, Boston is 14-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 18 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and just one has pushed. The Bruins are 5-10 SU as an away team this season.
The Bruins have converted on 27.6 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-five among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 23rd overall and it’s successfully defended 76.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jaroslav Halak (.932 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Boston. Halak is averaging 28.9 saves per game and owns an 8-8-2 record.
Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner \u2013 Lightning, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Trends
- Over Tampa Bay’s last ten outings, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-1 in those games).
- The Bruins are 7-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-7 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
- Boston is ranked 17th this season with 9.8 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended upward, as the team’s averaged 10.9 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Tampa Bay has averaged 7.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.8 giveaways per game (ranked 8th in the NHL).
- The Bolts this season have registered the ninth-most hits in the league (24.0 per game).
