NHL Odds: Lightning-Devils prediction, pick, how to watch

A premier Eastern Conference between two of the leagues best will take place as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the new jersey devils in the Garden State. Join us for our NHL odds series, where our Lightning-Devils prediction and pick will be revealed.

Coming into play with a 44-16-6 record and winners of their last three games overall, the New Jersey Devils sit in extremely good shape to make some noise come playoff time. At the moment, they have recorded 94 points and are in a prime position to represent the conference come Stanley Cup time.

Oddly enough, the Devils will be going up against the three-time defending conference champs in the Lightning, as Tampa Bay has surprisingly a slight rough patch as they have lost seven of nine games. Regardless, this is still a very talented crew that has their sights set on being a tough outcome playoff time.

Here are the Lightning-Devils NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Lightning-Devils Odds

Tampa Bay Lightning: +1.5 (-215)

New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+176)

Over: 6.5 (-110)

Under: 6.5 (-110)

How To Watch Lightning vs. Devils

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT

*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread

There is no doubt that the Lightning are far from playing their best hockey of the season, but nonetheless, there is good reason to believe that Tampa Bay has what it takes to take care of business this evening. For starters, the Lightning are certainly going to want to get on the right foot against a Devils squad that they will be meeting up with three times over the span of the next six days, so be on the lookout for Tampa Bay to attempt to take advantage of having Steven Stamkos back at full health.

Obviously, Stamkos is the heartbeat that makes this offense go, as recorded a total of 66 points thus far this year. Even though he doesn’t lead the club in goals or assists, he should be expected to make a big impact versus New Jersey after returning from an injury scare out on the ice on Saturday.

In addition, the return of dominant play from the usual electric goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy will prove to be critical. Believe it or not, Vasilevskiy has struggled mightily in his last six starts in net. One of the great net-minders of his generation, the 28-year-old has recorded a 3.86 goals-against over that same span and hasn’t looked like himself as of late. Without a doubt, having a strong and sturdy opening period against an electric team like the Devils will be huge for Vasilevskiy to get his confidence back up.

Why The Devils Could Cover The Spread

Unlike the Lightning and their recent struggles, it has been the Devils that have been hotter than the surface of the sun. In fact, not many other teams around either league have been playing as well as New Jersey. Winners in nine of their most recent twelve games played, New Jersey is starting to find their rhythm at the most perfect of times.

A big reason why the Devils have found such success lately has been because of not only their effectiveness to scoring more often than not, but also in large part due to their capability of keeping the enemy in check when shorthanded. On paper, the Devils on average but down 82% of opponents’ power plays attacks, which is ranked within the top-ten of the entire league. Over the years, Tampa Bay has been known to boast a fierce extra-mad advantage that often results in scores, so it will be most important for the Devils to find a way to clear the puck and take away shooting zones if the Lightning receive a couple of power-play opportunities.

Above all else, it is hard to put into words how phenomenally fabulous center Jack Hughes has been this season after being banged up for a majority of last year. So far, the 21-year-old from Orlando, Florida not only possesses the most goals and assists among the club, but he also has quickly become one of the more dynamic skaters in the NHL. Most recently, he also was responsible for all of the scoring in the 3-0 victory over the Hurricanes with a goal and a pair of assists in the statement victory over one of the top squads in the Eastern Conference. If Hughes can continue his stellar string of outings, then the Lightning could be in big trouble.

Final Lightning-Devils Prediction & Pick

Backed by the home fans where the Devils have gone 19-12-2, it is hard to imagine that New Jersey doesn’t get the job done based on how they have played over the last couple of weeks.

Final Lightning-Devils Prediction & Pick: Devils -1.5 (+176)