NHL Odds: Red Wings-Lightning prediction, odds and pick
The Detroit Red Wings will head south to face off with the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Red Wings-Lightning prediction and pick.
The Red Wings defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 on Sunday. Austin Czarnick and Dominik Kubalik scored to help propel the Wings to an early lead. Then, Lucas Raymond put the icing on the cake in the second period on the powerplay with his seventh goal of the season. Andrew Copp finished it off in the third to guarantee the win. Ultimately, Detroit dominated throughout the game and did not allow Columbus to get any chance. Ville Husso made 32 saves coming off his second start in a row on back-to-back days.
The Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime. Initially, things looked bad as they trailed 2-1 entering the third period. But Nikita Kucherov changed that when he fired a shot from the top of the faceoff circle for a powerplay goal to tie it up. Then, the Bolts took the lead when Ross Colton connected off a pass from Mikhail Sergachev to make it 3-2. The Leafs tied the game, sending it to overtime. However, Alex Killorn ended it off a smooth pass from Anthony Cirelli to fire the game-winner home.
The Lightning took three of four games last year. Significantly, the Bolts defeated the Wings 3-1 and lost 4-3 over the two games at Amalie Arena. The Lightning are 8-2 over the past 10 games against the Red Wings at Amalie Arena.
Here are the Red Wings-Lightning NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Red Wings-Lightning Odds
Detroit Red Wings: +1.5 (-128)
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+104)
Over: 6.5 (-102)
Under: 6.5 (-120)
Why The Red Wings Could Cover The Spread
The Wings are quietly having a decent season despite not much production from a lot of areas. Significantly, Dylan Larkin has nine goals and 17 assists, with four on the powerplay. Larkin also has six goals and seven assists through 26 career games against the Lightning. Meanwhile, Kubalik has 10 goals and 14 assists, with five on the extra-man attack. Filip Hronek has six goals and 16 assists, with two on the extra-man attack. Additionally, David Perron has seven goals and 12 assists, with two on special teams. Raymond has seven goals and eight assists, with eight on the powerplay. Finally, Copp has three goals and 11 assists, with one tally on the extra-man attack.
The Red Wings are 17th in goals, 14th in shooting percentage, and 18th on the powerplay. Moreover, they have played average hockey on the offensive end, thriving sometimes and failing in others.
Detroit is 12th in goals against and 14th on the penalty kill. Likewise, the defense has played efficiently at times, with solid goaltending. Husso is 10-4-3 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a save percentage of .912.
The Red Wings will cover the spread if they can avoid falling behind early and get a scoring lead. Significantly, they must get past goalie Andrei Vasilievskiy, who is still among the best in the NHL.
Why The Lightning Could Cover The Spread
The Lightning are still a great time with an explosive offense, but there are some cracks in the foundation. Ultimately, they have slipped a little compared to recent years.
Kucherov continues to excel, with 11 goals and 25 assists, and five on the extra-man attack. Likewise, Steven Stamkos scored 13 goals and 16 assists, with seven tallies on the powerplay. Brayden Point has 10 goals and 14 assists, with five on special teams. Significantly, Sergachev has four goals and 19 assists, with two tallies on the powerplay. Killorn has eight goals and 12 assists. However, defenseman Victor Hedman continues to struggle. He has one goal and nine assists but has not scored over the last five games.
The Bolts are 12th in goals scored, sixth in shooting percentage, and third on the powerplay. Moreover, they still have firepower even with Hedman’s struggles.
The defense has continued to play solid hockey. Ultimately, the Bolts rank 12th in goals against and 18th on the penalty kill. Vasilievskiy has protected the net well, going 10-7-1 with a 2.78 goals-against average with a save percentage of .909.
The Lightning will cover the spread if Kucherov and Stamkos can continue their solid production. Likewise, they need to shut down Larkin and prevent Detroit from getting the upper hand on special teams.
Final Red Wings-Lightning Prediction & Pick
The Bolts are still one of the greatest teams in the NHL. Ultimately, their firepower will prove too much for the Red Wings to handle. Expect the Bolts to overwhelm the Wings and win this game by two goals.
Final Red Wings-Lightning Prediction & Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (+104)
