Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Arizona Coyotes Prediction, Preview, and Odds
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The Tampa Bay Lightning (10-7-5) once again came into 2023-24 with very high expectations, and while this team may not have started like the dominant dynasty we've seen in recent years, the star power is still there, and if they can get it together, this is a team expected to once again compete for a Stanley Cup when the playoffs roll around.
Welcoming them into Phoenix in this one are the Arizona Coyotes (9-9-2), who are finally putting what appears to be a competitive team onto the ice, and with a talented young core, in a few years, if developed properly, we could be looking at a team that very much resembles the Lightning squad they'll face in this intriguing Tuesday night showdown.
Can Tampa Bay start building consistency?
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a dominant force in the Eastern Conference for several years now, and while they may have started 2023-24 slow, they've bounced back in recent times, putting together a 4-1-1 record over their past six games to get to a 10-7-5 mark on the season. In their past eight games away from home, the Lightning have gone 4-3-1 after losing their first three on the road, and with a +1 goal differential on the year, there's still plenty of work to do, but as long as their veteran core is intact, this is a team to watch in the stacked Eastern Conference.
Not surprisingly, that star core has been thriving this year, with Nikita Kucherov sitting at 36 points in 22 games, with four other Lightning stars having more than a point per game, and in two starts since his return, Andrei Vasilevsky has posted a 2.53 GAA and will be the key to unlocking the full potential of this star-studded squad. Their last time out was a tough road loss to the Colorado Avalanche, with a lone Cirelli goal on 38 shots not enough to secure the win, as Vasilevsky looked solid but not spectacular, allowing three goals on 22 shots en route to the 4-1 loss.
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Can Arizona find their footing once more?
The Arizona Coyotes have been one of the Western Conference's worst teams in recent years, but through solid drafting, they finally have a core that they hope can take them places, as their 5-5-2 record over their past 12 games takes them to a solid 9-9-2 early in the season. They have picked up four wins in eight tries at home this season, but despite the talented, dynamic offense, the goal differential sits at just 0 on the year, but with so much young talent, if this team can continue to grow and develop together, they'll be a team to watch in the coming years.
While Arizona don't have a top-15 scorer in the league like Tampa Bay, they've got nine players in double digit points thus far, led by breakout star of 2022-23 Clayton Keller, and with the goaltending holding up relatively well, posting a 3.15 GAA and a .906 save percentage, they've got an outside chance at a playoff push this season. Their last time out was a major upset win on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights, with goals to Keller and Crouse enough to get the job done as Connor Ingram stopped all 34 shots he saw for the dominant 2-0 shutout win.
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Unsurprisingly, this has been an incredibly one-sided rivalry in recent years, as the Lightning have made three Stanley Cup Finals in the past four seasons while Arizona has been rebuilding, and that's reflected in Tampa Bay's 5-2 record in their past seven meetings.
Over that time though, the Coyotes have been competitive, with the combined score in those games being 25-17, and while the new-age Coyotes led by the core of Keller, Cooley, Maccielli, and others will keep it close, this Lightning team just has too much firepower for the young squad to keep up with.
Prediction: Tampa Bay -138
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Despite a Vasilevsky vs. Ingram matchup being a tantalizing one, this rivalry has featured plenty of high-scoring matchups, with the over being 4-1 in their past five meetings, while being 7-3 in their past 10 games played in Arizona.
For the Lightning, the over is 4-1 in their past five games played against teams with a losing record, and for the Coyotes, the over is 5-1 in their past six games following a win, and with two deep squads that simply love to score goals, this should be a very entertaining contest filled with plenty of high-quality scoring opportunities.
