Making on a bet on this NHL game featuring the Canadiens versus the Lightning? The puck drops at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ESPN+. The game will be played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. This Atlantic division matchup has an over/under of 6.5 goals, and the Lightning are favored by -1.5 at home vs. the Canadiens.

MONTREAL CANADIENS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5

This game will be played at Amalie Arena at 7:00 ET on Saturday, March 2nd.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:

  • With the Lightning being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Lightning.
  • Take the Lightning on the moneyline
  • On the spread, we like Canadiens (+1.5)

Will the Canadiens Exceed Expectations on the Road?

Montreal comes into this game with a record of 23-29-9 and sits in 7th place in the Atlantic Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. On the road, the Canadiens have gone 11-13-6 this season, and they have lost four straight games away from home. Over their last ten games, Montreal has gone just 2-8.

As the underdog, the Canadiens have gone 19-28-9 this season, and they have just one win in their last five games and two wins in their last ten games. Against other Eastern Conference teams, Montreal has gone 12-22 this season.

Montreal enters the game with a puck line record of 38-22 this season, including a mark of 19-10 on the road. So far, the Canadiens have 15 wins by just one goal compared to eight victories by multiple goals.

Over their last 10 games, the Canadiens’ puck line record is 7-3, and they have gone 4-1 against the puck line in their previous five games. In their last three games, Montreal has gone 3-0 vs. the puck line.

This season, Montreal’s games have an average of 6.4 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.3. The Canadiens come in with an over/under performance of 31-27-2.

Montreal has a 0-3 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 4. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.

On offense, the Canadiens are averaging 2.8 goals per game which is 27th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 27th in the league. The Canadiens went 5-7 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 18-21.

Montreal will be looking for a good game from Nick Suzuki who leads the team in scoring with 24 goals, ranking 30th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Suzuki has 35 assists this season.

Tampa Bay defense takes on the Canadiens ranked 16th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 29.4 shots per game against Tampa Bay. They also are 15th in shutouts, with 3 shutouts.

Entering the game, goalie Cayden Primeau has started 12 games this season. His current record stands at 5-6, and his save percentage is 0.383%.

Does Tampa Bay Have a Shot at a Home Win?

At home this season, the Lightning have gone 18-9-4 and have dropped four straight games. In the Atlantic Division, Tampa Bay is in fifth place with a record of 6-11.

Heading into tonight’s game, the Lightning have lost two straight games as the favorite and have gone 22-13-2 when favored this season. Over their last ten games, Tampa Bay is 5-5.

At home this season, Tampa Bay’s puck line record is 17-13, and they have gone 5-5 against the puck line in their last ten games at home. Overall, the Lightning’s puck line record is 31-31, and they have 23 wins by multiple goals.

So far, Tampa Bay has gone 16-20 against the puck line when favored, and their average scoring margin at home this year is +.6 goals per game. In their last ten games overall, the Lightning’s puck line record is 5-5, and they have lost two straight games against the puck line.

On average, Tampa Bay’s games have finished with 6.8 goals per game. The season’s average over/under line stands at 6.5. In total, the Lightning come in with an over/under record of 28-30-4.

When looking at their past three road matchups, Montreal has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 0-3 overall in these games.

In terms of their offensive performance, the Lightning are averaging 3.4 goals per game this season, putting them in the 6th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 18th in the league. In terms of the Lightning’s offense during power plays, they are 1st in power play goals and 29th in shorthanded goals.

Tampa Bay’s leading scorer is Nikita Kucherov. So far, he has 38 goals which is 5th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Kucherov has 66 assists this season.

In terms of defense, the Lightning head into the game ranked 16th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 29.4 shots per game against Tampa Bay. So far, they are 15th in shutouts, achieving 3 shutouts.

Entering the game, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 36 games this season. His current record stands at 20-15, and his save percentage is 0.794%.