Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Carolina Hurricanes with both teams looking to build off of remarkable seasons. The Lightning have a 37-20-5 record and are in third place in the Atlantic Division but hope to improve after losing four games in a row. The Hurricanes have a 40-12-8 record and with seven wins in their last 10 games are in first place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams look to remain near the top of the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a great one.

Lightning hope defense improves

The Lightning are having a great season with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.52 goals per game including seven goals in the last two games. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point have scored 88 goals and 135 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also been great. Brandon Hagel, Alex Killorn, and Nick Paul have combined for 54 goals and 68 assists while defensemen Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev have added 13 goals and 70 assists from the point to put the offense over the top.

The offense has been great but the defense has struggled recently, allowing 3.00 goals per game with 22 goals in the last four games. Hedman and Sergachev have combined for 6.8 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy who has a .917 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average on 1448 shots with 17.2 goals saved above average.

Hurricanes have been by great defense

The Hurricanes are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.38 goals per game. Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov, and Sebastian Aho have scored 73 goals and 91 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has stepped up. Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal, and Teuvo Teravainen have combined for 36 goals and 54 assists while defensemen Brent Burns and Brady Skjei have added 23 goals and 52 assists from the point to open up the offense.

The offense has been great but the defense has carried the Hurricanes, allowing only 2.55 goals per game with only four goals in the last two games. Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin have combined for 8.1 defensive point shares and 152 blocked shots while Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Jalen Chatfield have combined for 11.0 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Antti Raanta has been great with a .909 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against average on 541 shots with 2.3 goals saved above average.

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Both teams have great offenses and the upcoming game should reflect that with both forward units stepping up and finding the back of the net throughout the game. The Hurricanes, who average 3.38 goals per game, should create plenty of scoring chances with Martin Necas, Andrei Svechnikov, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with cross-ice passes and effective puck movement. The Lightning, who have scored seven goals in the last two games, should run up the score with Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and the rest of the forward unit crashing the net on the rush and creating open shots with effective puck movement while defensemen Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev pick apart the Hurricanes defense from the point. The Over should cover in a high-scoring game controlled by both offenses.

Take the Over on 6.5 goals.

Prediction: Over 6

Mike Fink is a sports writer and a passionate football fan. After graduating from college, Fink picked up the passion he had since being a young child in following and covering all things sports and we are very excited to have him as a part of the StatSalt team. In recent weeks, Mike started a podcast which you can find on Spotify, called "The Mike and Grover Show" and it discusses all things football. He covers all forms of sports betting and also bets on all of the plays he gives out. Mike would advise hockey betting since the odds give you great payouts "Hockey is built to bet the Money Line Underdogs. Be sure and follow him on a daily basis.