The Vegas Golden Knights continue their road trip with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night that NHL odds have pegged as a toss-up.
Vegas is coming off a 6-3 loss in Carolina while Tampa Bay returned home on Tuesday night with a big 6-1 win against the Blues. The Bolts have been much better at home this season (9-3-3) than on the road (6-10-2).
Can the Lightning keep up their home cooking against the reigning Stanley Cup champions? Read on for our Golden Knights vs. Lightning NHL picks and predictions for Thursday, December 21.
Golden Knights vs Lightning odds
Golden Knights vs Lightning predictions
The Vegas Golden Knights have been bit by the injury bug recently with Vezina Trophy candidate Adin Hill out and backup Logan Thompson day-to-day, the team announced on Wednesday night. They’ve been able to keep up their strong play and lead the Western Conference despite that.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were also without starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for the first month of the season. The Bolts were able to tread water and are in the mix for a playoff spot at 15-13-5.
Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault is off to a decent start this season with 24 points in 33 games. He's also been firing a ton of shots on goal with 109 (3.30 per game).
The Jonathan Marchessault odds for his shots on goal prop being set at 2.5 is a bit curious. He's had at least three shots on goal in 21 of 33 games (63%). Going back to November 30, Marchessault has 41 shots in his last 10 games and has gone Over 2.5 in eight of those contests.
The Lightning are towards the middle of the pack in terms of shots against per game at 31 (14th-most) thus far. They may also be without one of their top defensemen in Mikhail Sergachev, who left the last game with a lower-body injury.
While Over 2.5 shots is the best bet, this could be a great ladder spot for Marchessault. He’s gone Over 3.5 shots in eight of his last 10 games and 17 of 33 overall.
My best bet: Jonathan Marchessault Over 2.5 shots on goal (-150 at DraftKings)
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Golden Knights vs Lightning same-game parlay
Jonathan Marchessault Over 2.5 shots on goal
Lightning moneyline
Over 6.5
Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault is anchoring our parlay with his strong shooting presence.
Despite our best bet being on a Golden Knights player, we’re going the other way with the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the game at home. As mentioned above, the Lightning are a great home team at 9-3-3, while the Golden Knights are fallible on the road at 9-4-3.
Vegas has also been struggling in net without Hill, and that will be even worse with Thompson now out as well. Jiri Patera is likely to start tonight. He's only played in three NHL games and has a .900 SV% in 14 AHL games this season.
Along with that, we’re expecting a lot of goals in this one. Vasilevskiy hasn’t been his normal self with a 6-5-0 record and 2.83 GAA with a .904 SV%.
The Golden Knights have gone Over 6.5 goals in seven straight games as they've felt the effects of some injuries.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Golden Knights vs Lightning moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning odds opened as slight home favorites at -115 but they are down to a pick'em at -110 at most books. The Vegas Golden Knights are also at -110 after opening at -105.
The Bolts have won each of their last three home games and are 5-1-1 in their last seven games at Amalie Arena.
The total opened at six and has moved up to 6.5. The Over 6.5 is at -105 with the Under 6.5 at -112.
Injuries on the blue line and between the pipes figure to make this one a high-scoring tilt.
Golden Knights vs Lightning betting trend to know
The Tampa Bay Lightning have hit the 1P Moneyline in 32 of their last 42 games at home (+18.55 Units / 26% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs. Lightning.
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Golden Knights vs Lightning game info
| Location: | Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL |
| Date: | Thursday, December 21, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Scripps, Bally Sports Sun |
Golden Knights vs Lightning latest injuries
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