Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction NHL Picks 3/2/24

Tampa Bay Lightning (32-24-6) vs Montreal Canadiens (23-28-9)

Game Info: Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 7:00 pm (Amalie Arena)

Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning -213 / Montreal Canadiens +170 --- Over/Under: 6.5

The Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet in NHL action from the Amalie Arena on Saturday. Who comes out on top in Saturday’s Atlantic division clash? Let’s dive in and find out with our Canadiens vs. Lightning Prediction.

Montreal Canadiens Team Preview

The Montreal Canadiens come into this one looking to bounce back after a 4-3 shootout loss to Florida in their last game. Nick Suzuki has a team-high 59 points with 24 goals and 35 assists while Cole Caufield has 47 points with 19 goals and 28 assists. Mike Matheson has 43 points with a team-high 35 assists of his own. Jake Allen is 5-12-3 with an .892 save percentage and 3.69 GAA while Sam Montembault is 13-10-5 with a 3.15 GAA and a .904 save percentage in goal for Montreal this season. Cayden Primeau is also 5-6-1 with a 3.06 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season for the Habs.

Montreal Canadiens Team Facts

• The Canadiens have lost each of their last eight games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last eight games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 3' market has hit in 18 of the Canadiens' last 19 games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Canadiens have lost the third period in each of their last eight Saturday night games.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this one looking to rebound from a 3-2 OT loss to Buffalo last time out. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 104 points including a team-high 38 goals and 66 assists while Brayden Point has 31 goals and 33 assists for his 64 points. Victor Hedman’s added 60 points with 50 assists while Steven Stamkos has 51 points with 27 assists and Brandon Hagel has 59 points split between 22 goals and 37 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 11-7-5 with a 3.43 GAA and an .888 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 20-15-1 with a 2.99 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts

• The Lightning have won 13 of their last 14 home games against the Canadiens.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The underdogs have won the third period in each of the Lightning's last four games.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in seven of the Lightning's last eight home games.

Canadiens vs. Lightning Prediction

I’m on Montreal +1.5 here. The Canadiens usually play well after overtime having covered the puck line in 8 straight games after OT and I’m still not there with the Lightning to be completely honest. Tampa Bay has been so frustrating to back over the course of the season especially as of late and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bolts put up a clunker here. Give me Montreal +1.5.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.