Now, this is what NHL hockey bettors want to see. None of that opening round nonsense featuring the niche death metal band that nobody cares about except for the two weird-looking groupies in the front row dancing with themselves. It’s time for the main act to hit the stage, as in Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning.
This Eastern Conference semifinal has all the makings of a classic, so we break down the series with our NHL picks and predictions for Sunday’s Game 1 from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning betting preview
Starting Goalies
Bruins: Jaroslav Halak- playoffs - 3-1, 2.29 GAA, .912 SV% (season – 18-6, 2.39 GAA, .919 SV%)
Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy – playoffs - 6-2, 1.98 GAA, .927 SV% (season – 35-14, 2.56 GAA, .917 SV%)
Halak was thrust into the spotlight when starter Tuukka Rask left the team to be with his family, and thus far, the 35-year-old backup and settled in quite nicely as a starter. Since getting the call before Game 3 against Carolina, he’s allowed just five goals in three games.
No netminder racked up more wins during the regular season that Vasilevskiy, and he was put to the test against the pesky Blue Jackets, who took Tampa Bay to overtime twice before the Bolts put away the series in five games.
Injuries
Bruins: Tuukka Rask G (out), Kevan Miller D (out)
Lightning: Jan Rutta D (ques), Steven Stamkos C (out)
Find our latest NHL injury reports for every game.
Betting Trend to Know
Bruins are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Lightning.
MONEYLINE PICK
The Bolts produced the top offense in the NHL during the regular season, while the Bruins had the best defense. That’s a bit of an oversimplification, however. Tampa averaged 3.47 goals per game and Boston averaged 3.24, putting both clubs in the top ten. This is going to be a very tightly-contested series, but I don’t think the Lightning finally exorcising their demons against the Blue Jackets can be overstated. They should play looser against Boston and have won six of their last seven meetings against the Bruins.
PREDICTION: Lightning ML (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Lightning must do a better job of converting on their power play during this series. They’ve been dismal through eight playoff games, converting over 13.3% of the time—way down from their 23.1% conversion rate during the regular season. This should improve during the series if Steven Stamkos returns from a lower-body injury, and he should at some point.
While Stamkos won’t play in Game 1, I’m still not sold on Halak keeping the Lightning at bay. Add to that the star power (and scoring prowess) of Boston’s top line, and I like the over.
PREDICTION: Over 5.5 (+115)
PROP PICK
As good as the Bruins are—they clearly have the talent to win it all—they’ve made a bad habit out of slow starts during the postseason. In three of their five games against the Canes, they gave up the first goal. That’s not a good sign against a dangerous offense like Tampa’s. Rock ‘n’ roll.
PREDICTION: Lightning first period ML (+180)
Bruins vs Lightning Betting Card
- Lightning ML (-110)
- Over 5.5 (+115)
- Lightning first period ML (+180)
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