St. Pete Times Forum hosts an NHL battle between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

The Lightning bring a 15-17-3 record to the battle against the 14-16-7 Canadiens. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Tampa Bay go 21-13-1 so far and the Canadiens go 16-18-3.



View Montreal vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as +-125 moneyline underdogs in this one at most online sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark. The total opened at 5.5 for those preferring over under wagers.

Power Rankings:
It's a hockey betting matchup between the No. 26-rated Lightning and the No. 18-ranked Canadiens, according to the latest NHL power poll here at Odds Shark.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tampa Bay's No. 15-ranked offense (2.7 goals per game) against a Canadiens defense that ranks No. 14 at 2.8 goals per game allowed. The Lightning Sportsbook has clicked at a 14.6% rate while the Canadiens have a 88.9% rate on the penalty kill.

In their last action, Montreal was a 6-2 Sportsbook on the road against the Senators. Bettors on Montreal at +100 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (8) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

In their last action, Tampa Bay was a 5-1 Sportsbook at home against the Flyers. Bettors on Tampa Bay at +120 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (6) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.


Montreal Canadiens Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Florida are 5-5
After playing Ottawa are 4-6
After a win are 3-7

Tampa Bay Lightning Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing St. Louis are 4-6
After playing Philadelphia are 4-6
After a win are 4-6

A few Canadiens at Lightning trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Montreal's last 13 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing at home against Montreal
Tampa Bay is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home


Next up:
Montreal at Florida, Saturday, December 31
Tampa Bay home to Carolina, Saturday, December 31