In their fourth and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning clash at Amalie Arena for an Atlantic Division tilt. The action will get started at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10, and you’ll be able to see it live on The Sports Network.
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Earning 13.7 units for moneyline bettors, Tampa Bay is 47-21 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked first in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 42-40 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Of its 68 games this season, 44 have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 24-8 SU at home this year.
The Lightning have been able to convert on 23.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 24th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.7 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Lightning have been called for penalties 4.0 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over their last five outings total, and 4.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties for 10.6 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Boasting a .925 save percentage and 29.7 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (40-16-3) has been the best goalkeeper for Tampa Bay this year. If head coach Jon Cooper chooses to give him the day off, however, Tampa Bay might go with Louis Domingue (4-10-10 record, .881 save percentage, 3.82 goals against average).
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will each be focal points for the Lightning. Kucherov (87 points) has tallied 33 goals and 54 assists and has recorded two or more points on 28 different occasions this year. Stamkos has 27 goals and 51 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 47 games.
Montreal is 25-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 20.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 67 regular season matches, 37 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Canadiens are 9-24 SU as a road team this season.
The Canadiens have converted on 19.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.3 percent of all penalties.
Montreal’s skaters have been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over their past five contests total, and 4.2 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Carey Price (2.98 goals against average and .904 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal. Price is averaging 27.3 saves per game and owns a 15-28-6 record.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Canadiens will be Brendan Gallagher (24 goals, 17 assists) and Alex Galchenyuk (15 goals, 24 assists).
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Montreal has allowed 3.1 goals per game this season, but has allowed 4.3 goals per contest over its three-game losing streak.
Penalties and power plays could play a key role in this matchup. The Canadiens are 9-14 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-28 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Lightning are 24-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 28-12 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Three of Tampa Bay’s last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 3-0 in those games and 5-2 overall in shootouts this year.
Tampa Bay could hold the upper hand if it’s a close one late. The team’s 20-9 in games decided by one goal, while Montreal is 10-14 in such games.
Tampa Bay has scored 3.7 goals per game overall this season, but has upped it to 5.5 per contest over its four-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay has averaged 8.2 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 8.4 giveaways per game (ranked 10th).
Montreal is ranked 30th this season with 12.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s averaged 10.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 10.4 giveaways over its last five.
Montreal skaters have dished out the fourth-most hits in the league (25.5 per game).
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