The Boston Bruins have battled the injury bug all season long and may finally be feeling the effects of a roster plagued by injuries, as the Bruins have dropped two straight ahead of a clash with the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida on Thursday. Sportsbooks opened the B’s as +145 road underdogs with a total of 6.
- The Bruins are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four games vs the Lightning (avg. losing margin: 2.0).
- The Lightning are 12-2 SU in their last 14 games vs divisional opponents.
- The total has gone UNDER in seven of the Bruins’ last nine games (avg. combined score: 4.11).
Bruins vs Lightning Game Center
Wounded Bruins could be fade material for the time being
Boston was on a 4-1-1 SU run before its two-game slide, but Tuesday’s 5-0 shutout loss to the Florida Panthers wasn’t even close from start to finish. The Bruins were playing without all-star center Patrice Bergeron and three of their top six defensemen. Brandon Carlo is back in the lineup after missing three weeks due to a shoulder injury, yet Zdeno Chara (knee), Charlie McAvoy (concussion) and Kevan Miller (throat) remain out.
Tampa Bay is kicking off a four-game homestand after rattling off four straight victories and seven in its last eight games to lead the NHL in points with 43. The Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit twice to earn a 6-5 shootout triumph over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Star right-winger Nikita Kucherov (12 goals, 30 assists this season) saw his 10-game point streak come to an end in that contest yet he did score the deciding goal in the shootout as Tampa Bay improved to 5-1 after regulation.
boston is becoming a solid UNDER bet
Boston dropped four of a five-game playoff series to the Lightning last spring, but its regular-season results vs the Bolts have been much better of late. In the last four regular-season matchups between the clubs, the Bruins are 3-1. This is the first meeting between the Eastern Conference clubs in 2018-19.
When it comes to the total, bettors will want to pay attention to the Bruins’ recent UNDER streak. In Boston’s past nine contests, the UNDER is 7-2 with an average combined score of 4.1 goals. Boston has scored more than two goals on only one occasion in its past six – a 3-2 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens on November 24. The Bruins are 2-6 SU in their past eight road games vs teams with winning records.
Bruins turn to Rask in between the pipes
Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start in goal for the Bruins. Rask (6-5-2, 2.59 goals-against average, .915 save percentage) surrendered three goals on 26 shots in a setback to the Red Wings on December 1 and is 2-1-2 in his last five games. Louis Domingue (11-4-0, 3.14 goals-against average, .900 save percentage) will counter for the Lightning. Domingue is on a three-game winning streak, posting a 2.95 GAA and .882 SV% in the process.
