Blackhawks vs. Lightning Pick
Who has the edge when the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Tampa Bay is favored at home, as the Lightning are getting odds of -165 to win. Chicago is listed with a money line of +145 to prevail, while the over/under total for the contest has been set at 6 goals. Tonight’s game takes place from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will air live on NBCSN.
Chicago is coming off a 2-1 win at Pittsburgh for its second straight win. The Blackhawks are now 10-8-2 on the season and 5-4-1 on the road. Chicago is averaging 3.05 goals per game this season while allowing 2.65 per contest. The Blackhawks are being led by Patrick Kane, who has six goals and 13 assists while Artem Anisimov has 10 goals. Corey Crawford is 9-7 in net this year with a 2.19 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
Tampa Bay is coming off a 5-3 loss at home to the Islanders, snapping a five-game win streak. The Lightning are 15-3-2 overall and 8-2-1 at home. Tampa is putting up 3.95 goals per game this season while allowing 2.55 per game. Steven Stamkos has 10 goals and 25 assists to lead the team while Nikita Kucherov has 17 goals and 16 assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy is 14-2-1 in net this year with a 2.34 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
Bet on Blackhawks vs. Lightning
Tampa Bay has won three straight meetings with the Blackhawks, but this is the first meeting this season. Tampa has won six straight against Central division opponents and 10 of its last 13 home games. The Blackhawks are 2-6 in their last eight following a win. I expect the Lightning to continue to pile up the goals at home while the Blackhawks struggle to match. The public betting for tonight’s game is heavily with the Lightning and I side with them.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -165