Blues vs. Lightning Pick
Can the Tampa Bay Lightning avoid the upset Saturday night versus the St. Louis Blues? The puck drops at 7PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Lightning are listed as a -145 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Blues are a +125 underdog and the over-under is 5.5.
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St. Louis enters play with a 4-1-0 record following a 5-2 defeat Thursday at the Panthers. Tampa Bay is 3-1-0 after a 5-4 home win Thursday over the Penguins. The Blues won two of three meetings last season with the total going over two times.
In Thursday’s loss, Vince Dunn and Paul Stastny scored the goals. Alex Petrangelo assisted on both scores. Jake Allen allowed five goals on 38 shots to take the loss.
The Lightning received a two-goal performance from defenseman Slater Koekkoek in Thursday’s win. Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov scored one goal apiece. Alex Killorn assisted on four goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves to earn the win.
Tampa Bay has won its last four games versus Eastern Conference Central Division opponents.
The Lightning outlasted the Penguins two nights ago and are looking like one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. With an explosive offense, solid defense and a blossoming goalie in Vasilevskiy it will be a tough Tampa Bay team to beat all season. St. Louis finally hit the skids Thursday after four straight wins and we think it will drop another game on its Florida trip tonight.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -145