The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Chicago Blackhawks for the third time this season on Thursday night in the first game of a three-game series. The Lightning won the first two meetings, their first two games of the season, by a combined score of 10-3.
- Date/Time: March 4, 8 p.m. ET
- Arena: United Center
- TV Coverage: SunS
- Sportsbook Odds: Lightning -200 | O/U 6.5 (Line History)
- Lightning vs Blackhawks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Lightning as favorites at -200 and the line can now be found in the -210 to -230 range depending on the sportsbook. The total opened at 6.5 and has moved down to either 5.5 or 6 depending on the book.
Tampa Bay News & Notes
The defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are once again one of the top teams in the league as they sit atop the Central Division with only four regulation losses in 20 games.
The Lightning have been getting it done at both ends of the ice as they have 41 even-strength goals and have given up only 25. As a result, they lead the league in goals for percentage (GF%) at 62.12 percent. The team is led primarily by stars Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Brayden Point, who have 20, 20 and 19 points respectively.
However, maybe the most impressive player on the team has been goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, whose remarkable .942 save percentage and 1.65 goals-against average lead the league among goalies who have played at least 10 games. Vasilevskiy has a 13-3-1 record and is well on his way to a Vezina Trophy at this pace.
Chicago News & Notes
While the Chicago Blackhawks are not icing the kind of star-studded lineup featured by the Lightning and don’t have a goaltender who will be in contention for the Vezina, they do have a player who might be playing better than anyone in the league at the moment.
Patrick Kane is playing himself into the Hart Trophy conversation with the run he is on with 11 goals and 23 assists in 23 games. Kane was tied for second in the league in points before Wednesday’s games. Winger Alex DeBrincat has 25 points in 19 games and is tied with Kane with a team-best 11 goals.
The last time these teams played, goalies Malcolm Subban and Colin Delia took turns getting blown out as the rise of rookie Kevin Lankinen had not yet occurred. Since then, Lankinen has gone 9-3-3 with a .924 save percentage. He likely gets the start on Thursday.
Betting Pick: Lightning -210
Paying -210 is never an easy pill to swallow, but these teams are miles apart in terms of talent and ability despite the Blackhawks’ surprisingly nice season. Bet against the Lightning at your own peril this season.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games.
- Tampa Bay is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games vs Chicago.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games.
