NHL wagering interest swings to the Tampa Bay vs Washington battle on Saturday at St. Pete Times Forum as the Lightning try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors.

Tampa Bay will face the 29-23-5 Capitals. In totals betting, the Lightning are 36-20-1 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Capitals are 29-26-2 favoring the OVER.



View Washington vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Hockey odds makers opened the Lightning as -130 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 5.5.

Power Rankings:
The Lightning - Capitals odds would favor the Capitals if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Tampa Bay is rated No. 25 in the current Odds Shark poll, while Washington is at No. 21.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tampa Bay's No. 10-ranked offense (2.8 goals per game) against a Capitals defense that ranks No. 18 at 2.8 goals per game allowed. The Lightning Sportsbook has clicked at a 13.8% rate while the Capitals have a 80.4% rate on the penalty kill.

The Capitals were a 2-1 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Panthers. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Washington at +100 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for UNDER bettors.

The Lightning were a 6-5 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Sharks. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Tampa Bay at +135 on the moneyline, while the total score (11) was good news for OVER bettors.


Washington Capitals Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Calgary are 3-7
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a win are 4-6

Tampa Bay Lightning Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing St. Louis are 4-6
After playing San Jose are 6-6-1
After a win are 6-4

A few Capitals at Lightning trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Washington is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Tampa Bay's last 20 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington


Next up:
Washington at Carolina, Monday, February 20
Tampa Bay home to Anaheim, Tuesday, February 21