Originally, there were 10 games scheduled for today however, due to the ongoing pandemic, we’re left with only 1 game. This will be the last NHL game scheduled until the return on the 27th of December. Even though we have just one game happening tonight, it’s an incredible matchup between two 1st place teams.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Vegas Golden Knights
- Time: 10:00 PM ET
- TV Coverage: ESPN+
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 19-6-4, 1st Atlantic (9-3-2 Away)
- Vegas Golden Knights: 20-11-0, 1st Pacific (10-6-0 Home)
| Team | Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +110 | +105 | +1.5 (-220) | o5.5 (-125) |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -130 | -125 | -1.5 (+175) | u5.5 (+105) |
Trends:
- Over is 4-1 in Golden Knights last 5 vs Atlantic
- Golden Knights are 8-2 in their last 10 vs Atlantic
- Under is 4-1 in Lightning last 5 Overall
Preview:
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning enter this matchup on a two game winning streak knocking off Ottawa and Los Angeles. They were originally scheduled to play Colorado on Saturday but, that game was postponed.
After a less than ideal start to the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning have hit their stride sitting atop of the Atlantic Division. Since the start of December, they have only lost one of their eight games.
While Tampa hasn’t been able to match their offensive productivity of last season, they still have been above the League average. They currently have a -4.69 Goals For Above Expected which means their failing to convert on the scoring chances they’re creating slightly below average. Despite this moderately concerning statistic, the Lightning still generate 2.42 Goals For Per 60 which is good enough for 12th. Another area of concern has been their Power Play % which ranks 20th. The loss of Nikita Kucherov earlier this season has impacted their man advantage tremendously. The Lightning will also be without Brayden Point who remains on IR with a lower body injury.
Defensively, the Bolts have been great only allowing 1.79 Goals Against Per 60 which is 2nd in the NHL. Tampa also ranks highly in Goals Against Above Expected with a -13.49. They have done a great job of limiting opponents shots specifically, High Danger Shots Against.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to get the start in net tonight for Tampa Bay. Just like the team, he had a slow start to the year but has turned things around. He has a +15.4 Goals Saved Above Expected through 23 games. In his last 6 starts, he has only allowed more than 2 goals once.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are one of the hottest teams in the NHL currently coming into this matchup on a five game winning streak. Vegas has currently not had any games postponed due to COVID so they’ve played more recently than Tampa Bay. During their 5 game win streak, they have outscored opponents 22-13.
Offensively, the Golden Knights have been one of the best teams in the NHL with a +6.16 Goals For Above Expected. They’re averaging 2.94 Goals For Per 60 which ranks 6th in the NHL. Unlike the Tampa Bay, Vegas has been able to generate more shots on goal averaging 33.3 Per Game. The Golden Knights may be without one of their top forwards tonight in Marc Stone who is sidelined with a undisclosed injury and is listed as day to day.
On the back end of things, Vegas has struggled a bit allowing an average of 2.48 Goals Against Per 60. While this isn’t awful, this is certainly an area that they’ll want to clean up. They’ll be without Alec Martinez tonight which will hurt them as he’s on IR with a face injury.
It looks as though Robin Lehner will get the start tonight for the Golden Knights. He has a +3.3 GSAx on the year. While Lehner has won his last four starts, he has also allowed three or more goals in three of those matchups.
Pick:
- UNDER 5.5 (+105)
Again, this is an incredibly hard game to pick. There’s stats backing up both sides and totals in this game. However, I have a feeling that this game goes Under the total of 5.5 here.
Yes, both offenses can score and Lehner has struggled as of late. However, when you really look at these two teams they matchup well which leads me to take the Under.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
