Lightning vs. Capitals Prediction
The Washington Capitals have dropped three straight games since taking a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Will Washington force a Game 7 tonight or is Tampa Bay going to punch its ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals?
Game Snapshot
9 Tampa Bay Lightning at 10 Washington Capitals
Monday, May 21, 2018
Amalie Arena at 8PM ET
TV: NBCSN
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Capitals are a -130 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Lightning are a +110 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals. As of Monday morning, 56 percent of public bets are being placed on host Washington. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Kuznetsov, Ovechkin score in loss
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and left winger Alex Ovechkin both netted their 11th goal of the playoffs Saturday night, but it was not enough as the Lightning prevailed 3-2 on the road. After Tampa Bay took a 3-0 lead, Kuznetsov put the Caps on the board with 15:39 remaining to draw the hosts within two goals. The score would stay that way until Ovechkin found the back of the net with 1:36 left to make it a 3-2 game. But Washington could not score again while using the extra skater and dropped its third in a row. Braden Holtby stopped 19 of 22 shots in the defeat as he struggled for a third straight game.
Paquette scores 19 seconds in
Cedric Paquette scored a goal only 19 seconds into Game 5 to put the Lightning on the board and set the tone for what was to come. It was his first goal of the playoffs. Ondrej Palat added his sixth goal of the postseason almost nine minutes later to put Tampa Bay up by two goals. In th first minute of the second period, Ryan Callahan scored his second goal this postseason to push it to a 3-2 game before the Caps attempted to rally back. Andrei Vasilevskiy secured 28 saves on 30 shots to continue his outstanding play this series.
NHL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay
The Lightning are 5-1 in their last six games following a win. The road team is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
Washington
The Capitals are 25-8 in their last 33 games on a Monday. Washington is 20-8 in its last 28 home games versus Tampa Bay.
Prediction:
The Lightning have managed to do damage against Holtby the last three games despite not registering a lot of shots on goal. If Tampa Bay manages to manufacture more chances tonight, I don’t think Holtby stands a chance. The pressure is on for Washington here and I don’t have great vibes about how it will respond. The Lightning are playing great hockey and were the better team during the regular season, so this is a good spot to bet on them as an underdog.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING +110