The Nashville Predators (12-9-2), winners of three consecutive NHL games, hit the road to play the Tampa Bay Lightning (15-9-1), one of the best NHL teams in the league over the last few seasons, on Thursday night.
The Nashville Predators game is one of five on the NHL schedule Thursday night.
Heading into the Predators vs Lightning betting, Nashville is fifth in the NHL standings for the Central Division, while the Lightning are fourth in the Atlantic Division and hold down the final wild card playoff spot.
Matchup Goalies
Juuse Saros is expected to start in goal for the Predators. He’s 9-6-2 this season with a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) and .909 save percentage.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will likely get the nod for the Tampa Bay Lightning schedule. He’s 10-8-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .909 save percentage.
Last Game Records
Nashville brings a three-game winning streak into the Predators vs Lightning betting.
The Predators defeated the New York Islanders 3-1 last Friday and are coming into the game with five days of rest. Their win streak also includes victories over the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks.
The Lightning, meanwhile, are 7-3 in their last 10 games, but are coming off of a 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. They had won two in a row over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers before that.
Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Analysis
Tampa Bay is the betting favorite in the Predators vs Lightning betting. NHL odds for the moneyline at -193, while the Predators pay out +173 on the moneyline.
The Lightning’s NHL picks for the -1.5 puckline is +130 and the Predators are paying out -150 on the +1.5 puckline.
The over/under is set at 6, with the over and under paying out -114 and +103, respectively.
Can the Predators Make It Four in a Row?
Nashville is 5-6 on the road this season and will need to get back to .500 if they want to extend their season-best three-game winning streak. Nashville has largely been winning via great goaltending.
The team ranks 11th in NHL stats for goals against at 3.0 per game, but has scored the fifth-fewest goals per game in the league at 2.65. Nashville allowed just five goals in its last three games.
Filip Forsberg leads the team in scoring with 22 points in 23 games. Matt Duchene has 21 points and Roman Josi is third in scoring and leads the team’s defensemen with 20 points.
Tampa Not as Dominant as in Years Past
The Lighting, meanwhile, have had a decent offense this year and just average goaltending. Vasilevskiy has been OK, but he hasn’t been the Vezina-calibre goaltender that we’ve seen in the past.
As a team, the Lightning have allowed 3.12 goals against per game, which ranks 16th in the league. They rank ninth in goals per game and have the fourth-best power-play at 28.4 percent.
The usual suspects are leading the charge offensively for Tampa Bay in terms of NHL player stats.
Nikita Kucherov leads the team in scoring with 37 points in just 25 games. Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point are in second and third on the team in scoring with 30 and 25 points.
NHL Injury Report
There’s not many injury concerns for either team heading into Predators vs Lightning betting. Ryan McDonagh and Cody Glass are on the NHL injury report for the Predators and Haydn Fleury is out for Tampa Bay.
Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview
Nashville has been one of the worst teams in the league against the spread (ATS) with an 8-13 record, including 4-6 on the road. The over-under is 10-11 in Predators games this season.
Tampa Bay has been even worse ATS as they’ve played plenty of close games. They’re 9-16 ATS, including 5-8 at home. The over-under is 13-11 in Lightning games with one push.
Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Prediction
Nashville is coming into this game well-rested and with motivation to keep a win streak going.
Tampa Bay is showing signs of playing like the team we’ve seen over the last few years, but they’re still not quite there. This one has the makings of a road victory for the Predators.
NHL Pick: Predators (+173)
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